Action Navigation

 

'Pathways for Change' - a strategic review

Top

fairways to change

As a stakeholder in community health, Kennet District Council (KDC) is committed to engagement with the local NHS and over the past few months has been involved in two NHS consultations :

'Pathways for Change' - being carried out by Kennet & North Wilts / West Wilts Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and

'Mainstreaming Mental Health' - being carried out by Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP)

Both consultations focus on two drivers for change :

Modernisation :

  • The White Paper ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’. Across England – as well as in Wiltshire – the NHS is proposing changes to ensure more patients are treated and cared for in their own homes by Neighbourhood Teams and in state-of-the-art GP practices (or Primary Care Centres), supported by New Generation Community Hospitals. A number of our community hospitals are outdated and costly to run so the NHS is proposing to close these facilities and replace them with more modern, cost effective alternatives as mentioned above.

  • Shifting care away from inpatient care – reducing admissions and journeys to major hospitals. A high number of patients admitted to hospital could be cared for in their own homes, which apparently is what a lot of people would prefer. The reduction of inpatient facilities would free up more staff to work in Neighbourhood Teams.

NHS debts

  • The two local PCTs currently spend £20 million more a year on services than they receive from the government. They also owe £34m to pay off past loans.

  • The Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Trust (AWP) is in a similar financial position.

  • The PCTs and AWP, like every organisation in the country, have to live within their means and must achieve financial recovery.

The full consultation documents can be viewed below :

Pathways for Change pdf document (pdf, 1165 KB)

Mainstreaming Mental Health pdf document (pdf, 427 KB)

KDC Members have been actively involved in both consultation processes including attending numerous PCT public meetings and stakeholder meetings.

KDC's formal response to both consultations was agreed at Full Council on 22nd June and included the following comments :

Pathways for Change

Concerns over :

  • the reduction in the overall model of care for Kennet residents and dismay over the closure of Devizes hospital and possible closure of Savernake hospital.

  • the possible withdrawal of existing services before the new structure is in place

  • grave concerns over transport and access to servces given that Kennet is a rural area.

  • insufficient consideration given to the impact the PCT proposals will have on carers

  • the fact that the PCT proposals are underpinned by the support of our local GPs and KDC sees little evidence of this

  • the fact that the PCTs proposals make a minimal impact on their financial recovery - concern that other services will have to be 'cut' to make up the rest of the savings

  • the robustness and capacity of the proposed Neighbourhood Teams

Support for :

  • a Primary Care Centre in Devizes, with diagnostics and MIU, with maternity provision and inpatient beds desirable

  • the retention of Savernake hospital

  • the PCT to work with the MOD to look at provision of services in the south east corner of the Kennet district

  • Minor Injury Unit facilities in both Devizes and Savernake

Mainstreaming Mental Health

Concerns over :

  • concern over withdrawal of existing services before the new structure is in place

  • grave concerns over transport and access to servces given that Kennet is a rural area.

  • insufficient consideration given to the impact the AWP proposals will have on carers

  • caring for people at home could leave them isolated

  • limited provision for day care facilities and respite facilities and the impact on both patients and their carers

  • the robustness and capacity of the proposed Neighbourhood Teams and how they would integrate with crisis teams

  • concern over the extra burden on GPs to deal with Mental Health issues

  • concern that the AWP proposals are dependant on the outcome of the PCT consultation as they rely on shared sites / facilities

Support for :

  • the creation of a Section 136 Mental Health suite at Green Lane

  • for the retention of Savernake Hospital with integrated Mental Health beds

Both the PCT and AWP consultations concluded on the 7th July and the outcomes will be known in the autumn of this year. KDC will of course continue to monitor changes in the NHS that affect local services.

For more information, please visit www.wiltshire.nhs.uk/pathwaysforchange (External link)