Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The Committee considered a report on a Substantial Development or Variation in Service relating to reconfiguring services in Central and East Cheshire.  The reconfiguration was part of efficiencies to enable services to be provided in the most cost efficient way with no reduction in service to users and carers.  The proposals were not finalised but were likely to involve reconfiguration of beds in Central and Eastern Cheshire and Wirral.  However consultation would involve the whole area as any proposals would need to be considered across the whole of the Trust’s patch.

At this stage the proposals involved providing a separate ward on Wirral for service users with eating disorders by taking those adult beds out of Croft Ward on Macclesfield.  Currently Croft Ward had beds both for adults with eating disorders and older people with a functional mental illness, this mix was against best practice.  Removing the eating disorder beds would mean Croft Ward would not be viable.  There were two other small bedded wards for older patients with organic illness.  This provision of three older people’s wards across two sites meant there was little joint learning and development across older people’s wards.  It was proposed to manage all older people’s services in Central/East Cheshire in Crewe using two ground floor wards.  This would enable the provision of better accommodation and ensure that staff with specialist skills were co-located.  

Three adult wards were proposed in Central and East Cheshire – one in Crewe and two in Macclesfield.  The total number of beds in Central and East would be 84.

Alongside the reconfiguration, a new model of care was to be introduced called the Acute Care Model.  This model allocated one consultant to manage all inpatients, with other consultants concentrating on the majority of service users who lived in the community.  This would enable inpatients to see the consultant on a daily basis and benefit from increased access to senior clinical staff.  This model was already in operation in Wirral and West Cheshire and service users and carers were pleased with the increased availability of a consultant psychiatrist.

It was proposed that the changes be consulted on alongside proposals relating to inpatient reconfiguration in Central and Eastern Cheshire and would include four public meetings.

RESOLVED:  That the consultation process be endorsed and the proposals supported.