Healthcare in Leicestershire
This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Clinical commissioning groups have been replaced with integrated care systems.(July 2022) |
Healthcare in Leicestershire was the responsibility of three clinical commissioning groups covering West Leicestershire, Leicester City and East Leicestershire and Rutland until July 2022. As far as the NHS is concerned Rutland is generally treated as part of Leicestershire.
History
From 1947 to 1974 NHS services in Leicestershire were managed by the Sheffield
Sustainability and transformation plans
In March 2016 Toby Sanders (Accountable Officer of NHS West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group) was appointed the leader of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Sustainability and transformation plan footprint.[1]
The plans envisaged closing all the acute beds at Leicester General Hospital. The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust would have a net reduction of 243 acute beds. Maternity services in Leicester and Melton Mowbray will be consolidated onto one site at the Royal Infirmary. The in-patient facilities at Fielding Palmer Community Hospital in Lutterworth and Rutland Memorial Community Hospital in Oakham would close.[2] In 2017, Leicestershire was one of the areas piloting a new accountable care system which was proposed to involve two NHS trusts, three clinical commissioning groups, three local councils, the local ambulance service provider, and social enterprise Derbyshire Health United.[3]
Leaders of Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and Rutland County Council complained in September 2017 that plans were being concocted in secret with no public involvement or scrutiny and threatened to withdraw cooperation.[4] Progress has been described as hesitant and secretive.
A virtual 256-bed ‘hospital’ called Intensive Community Support has been established with staff of about 170 organised in five joint teams of district nurses, community mental health nurses, GPs and social workers focused on keeping patients out of hospital. Each team has about 50 beds in patients' own homes. On average it supports a patient for about ten days. There are also plans to move 150,000 outpatient appointments out of hospitals into primary care settings. Setting this up was supposed to permit the closure of 65 acute beds, but in March 2018 they had not closed, the hospital trust saying it was short of 105 beds.
In 2018 it was announced that staff at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust would be cut by 1500, while primary care staff would be increased by 234.[5]
The three clinical commissioning groups decided to appoint a single accountable officer and management team in December 2018 with a view to a merger.[6]
Commissioning
Leicestershire
The number of over-85s in the county is forecast to grow by 187% by the late 2030s.[8]
Primary care
Out-of-hours services are provided in the county by Central Nottinghamshire Clinical Services and in the city by Derbyshire Health United. There are 568 GPs in Leicestershire and Rutland.[9]
Acute services
Hospital care is largely provided by the
Mental health and community services
Mental health services are provided by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The Sustainability and transformation plan envisages a cut of 40%, £29 million, to the NHS Continuing healthcare programme which supports more than 1300 patients in the county.[11]
Healthwatch
There are two
Their main objective is to inform the local health and social care committees and boards of the community's opinions. They include Healthwatch representatives - delegates that represent the voice of society. Healthwatch representatives monitor service delivery in Leicestershire and Leicester through concerns and feedback.Rutland has its own organisation.
See also
References
- ^ "Leaders named for eight major STP patches". Health Service Journal. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Sustainability and Transformation Plans: Find out about your STP". NHS Support Federation. March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ "STP to consider ACS plans after regulators intervene". Health Service Journal. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Council 'at breaking point' over NHS's push to accountable care system". Health Service Journal. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ Meek, James (5 April 2018). "NHS SOS". Vol. 40, no. 7. London Review of Books. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Three CCGs to hire joint chief and consider merger". Health Service Journal. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ "Special report: Health, housing and care are successful together". Health Support Journal. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ Meek, James (5 April 2018). "NHS SOS". Vol. 40, no. 7. London Review of Books. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ Meek, James (5 April 2018). "NHS SOS". Vol. 40, no. 7. London Review of Books. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "One million patients to benefit from virtual ward service". Building Better Healthcare. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ Meek, James (5 April 2018). "NHS SOS". Vol. 40, no. 7. London Review of Books. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ Leicestershire, Healthwatch. "Home Page". Healthwatch Leicestershire. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
- ^ "Home". Healthwatch Leicester & Leicestershire. Retrieved 2022-09-23.