‘The Future of Healthcare in Gloucestershire’ - Consultation Gets Underway

12/06/2006

A TWELVE WEEK public consultation begins today Monday (12 June), with proposals building on developments of the last few years and protecting the range of health services provided in Gloucestershire into the future.

The consultation will describe how services need to change if the Gloucestershire NHS is to continue to provide good quality healthcare for patients within the funds available.

The consultation includes a number of county-wide proposals covering planned care (including specialist inpatient surgical services), maternity services, urgent & emergency care and patient transport.

There are also locality proposals with an emphasis on community-based services across the county. This section includes overall changes to rehabilitation services and a proposal for Delancey Hospital.

A separate five-week consultation is also currently taking place on the future of mental health services provided by the Gloucestershire NHS Partnership Trust. This will finish on 23 June. The themes and direction of travel are consistent across both consultations.

The Chief Executives of the NHS organisations in Gloucestershire, said:

“This is a challenging time for the NHS in Gloucestershire. We have each year found improved ways of working to become more efficient and meet rising demand.”

“We have already begun to restructure some of our services and take decisions that will benefit patients in the longer term. The national requirement for financial balance by all NHS organisations in 2006/07 means that we now have to increase the pace at which those changes move forward.”

“We need to get on and secure savings quickly and, at the same time, explain to people why we think the changes we are proposing are necessary if we are to continue to provide good quality healthcare for our patients into the future.”

“Every month that goes by without savings being made increases the level of savings required later in the year.”

“We have been working with the County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) to ensure an appropriate level of patient, public and staff involvement, and we are committed to a comprehensive and good quality consultation on these important proposals.”

“We want the public, patients and our staff to have an opportunity to debate the key principles that have been used in bringing forward the change proposals and the proposals themselves.

“We also want people to influence how the proposals would be implemented, by making suggestions on how the quality of services can be improved.”

The consultation document ‘The Future of Healthcare in Gloucestershire’ will be available across the county in places such as Citizen’s Advice Bureaux and public libraries.

The document is also available at www.healthingloucestershire.nhs.uk, with an online feedback form.

Printed copies can be obtained by contacting your local NHS organisation (communications contacts – see Notes to Editors).

The county NHS is arranging a series of public meetings throughout the 12-week consultation that will be held at various times and venues across the county. (Details of public events – see Notes to Editors).

Anyone wishing to express their views in writing can fill in the online feedback form (details above), email: consultation@glos.nhs.uk, or write to the Consultation Coordinator at Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT, Unit 43, Central Way, Arle Road, Cheltenham GL51 8LX.

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For further information, please contact : NHS county communication contacts
Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT: Becky Parish, 01242 548827
Cotswold and Vale PCT: Joanna Wynn/Shirley Billson, 01285 884694
West Gloucestershire PCT: Anthony Dallimore, 01452 389424
Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust: Deborah Richards, 01452 891094
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Alison Short/Akofa Wallace, 08454 223120/08454 224722
Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Debbie Pugh-Jones, 01249 454234/07967 646517.

Notes to Editors

Note 1 Public Events
During the consultation period we will be holding a number of consultation events for patients, public, staff and any other interested parties. We have included two sessions at each venue in order to offer maximum flexibility. We have, wherever possible, sought to avoid clashes with England World Cup Football matches but this has not been possible in every case.

Date	Venue	Maps	Times of Sessions
20 June 2006	Watson Hall - Main Hall, Barton Street, Tewkesbury	Map	1pm & 5pm
21 June 2006	Town Hall - Pillar Room and Buffet, Imperial Square, Cheltenham GL50 1QA	Map	1pm & 5pm
22 June 2006	St Edwards Hall, Fox Lane, Digbst Lane, Stow-on-the-Wold, GL54 1BN	Map	1pm & 5pm
29 June 2006	Stroud Subscription Rooms, George Street, Stroud, Glos GL5 1AE	Map	1.Short presentation and Q&A    1pm 2. Presentation and Q&A 2.15 pm 3.Short presentation and Q&A    5pm 4.Presentation and Q&A  6.15pm
04 July 2006	Function Room GL1, Bruton Way, Gloucester GL1 1DT	Map	1pm & 5pm
06 July 2006	Town Hall, Lydney, Glos.  GL15 5DY	Map	1pm & 5pm
11 July 2006	Cattle Country, Berkeley Heath Farm, Berkeley, Gloucestershire. GL13 9EW	Map	1pm & 5pm
12 July 2006	Mitcheldean Social Club, Xerox Sports & Social Club, Vantage Point Business Village, Mitcheldean, Glos. GL17 0DD	Map	1pm & 5pm
17 July 2006	Abbeyfields Community Centre, Back Lane, Winchcombe, Nr Cheltenham GL54 5QH	Map	1pm & 5pm
18 July 2006	St Lawrences Church - The Rectory, School Hill, Bourton on the Water. GL54 2AW	Map	1pm & 5pm
20 July 2006	Corn Hall, Cotswold District Council Trinity Road, Cirencester, GL7 1PX	Map	1pm & 5pm
26 July 2006	Moreton Area Centre, Cotswold District Council, High Street, Moreton in Marsh Gloucestershire GL56 OAZ	Map	1pm & 5pm
28 July 2006	Rednock School, Rednock Drive, Dursley GL11 4BY	Map	1pm & 5pm

Programme for sessions

Session 1 
1.00 - 2.00     Drop in (opportunity for informal discussion)
2.00 – 2.30    Presentation 1
2.30 – 3.30    Q&A – Question time

3.30 – 4.30    Break

Session 2     
5.00 – 6.00    Drop in (opportunity for informal discussion)
6.00 – 6.30    Presentation 2
6.30 – 7.30    Q&A – Question time

It would be helpful if anyone planning to attend one of the events could inform the Consultation Coordinator by emailing consultation@glos.nhs.uk, or calling 01242 548827.

Note 2 Financial overview
The NHS in Gloucestershire is forecast to be in deficit by around £40 million this year, unless action is taken to bring local health services back into financial balance.

Additional funds received from the Department of Health over previous years have clearly been welcome. However, the majority of this money has been spent meeting the costs of new drugs, improving waiting times and meeting commitments such as the GP contract, consultant contract, pay awards, increased NI and pensions contributions and the new Out of Hours service.

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority has confirmed how it will be implementing national policy on NHS financial management for 2006-07. It intends to create a pool of funds to help the most financially challenged organisations in AGW pay off their 2005-06 deficits. Cotswold and Vale PCT will receive £6.8m but, even after this, overall, the county’s three PCTs will lose a total of £6.5m from their expected 2006-07 allocations.

The underlying difficulty is compounded in 2006-07 by financial pressures facing the county’s provider Trusts. Significantly, there will be a large reduction in the prices paid to acute hospitals through the national tariff next year.

So, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be paid up to £17m less than it will receive this year for the same number and case-mix of patients. Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust is forecasting a £5.2m deficit in 2006-07, whilst Great Western Ambulance Trust is forecasting a shortfall of £1.5m for the Gloucestershire area. These figures include the national requirement to make a cash efficiency saving of 2.5% in year.

NHS organisations in Gloucestershire have already introduced strong controls to improve their efficiency and reduce their costs. These include controls on recruitment and spending on goods and services, controls on use of bank and agency staff and spending on areas such as training.

Note 3 Mental health consultation
The County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee has agreed that proposals from Gloucestershire Partnership Trust should be consulted on publicly for a period of five-weeks. This consultation is running from 22 May-23 June. The consultation document and online feedback form can be found at www.partnershiptrust.org.uk