Issue - meetings

Julia Curtis, Commissioning Manager (Planned Care), GP Commissiong (South and Vale Royal Consortia) and Dr Gurnani will present on proposals regarding Vascular Services

Julia Curtis and Dr Gurnani of the Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust, outlined to the Committee proposed improvements to vascular services in Cheshire.  A consultation had been undertaken looking at future provision of vascular services in Cheshire and Merseyside, the findings of which were awaited. 

The current position was that treatment for vascular conditions took place at most district hospitals.  However, to treat vascular disease well was not easy and research showed that chances of survival and improved quality of life were greatest where patients were treated by a highly specialised team working in a large centre to which many patients were referred.  This would enable medical staff to develop and maintain a high level of skill.  In addition, by having a small number of large centres, this would ensure that specialist doctors were available at all times.  This would also enable access to the latest treatments and techniques.  Finally, this would enable the NHS to be prepared for a new screening programme that had begun for older men for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).  Men discovered to have this condition would need specialist treatment. 

Julia Curtis explained that the South Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had decided not to be a part of the Cheshire and Merseyside review but rather to strengthen existing links with the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust.  This was on the grounds that the vision of the CCG was to commission care for its patients from a vascular provider that could provide a robust complete service and the University Hospital was already achieving the national AAA Quality Improvement programme markers as well as already providing vascular services to the South Cheshire area.  In addition, the University Hospital was already commissioned to provide cardiothoracic and renal components and the CCG felt that these were significant elements to managing vascular conditions.  This option was felt to give the best outcomes for patients.

In discussing the item, Members were advised that patients could still exercise patient choice in determining where they received treatment; and that most treatment for vascular services (such as screening and out-patient appointments) would still be carried out at a local centre, either Leighton Hospital or the GP Surgery; only surgical procedures and unplanned emergencies that would tend to be carried out at University Hospital. 

The Committee was also advised that patients from East Cheshire CCG would not be affected by the overall review as they would continue to access services from the Greater Manchester Vascular network which was not subject to a review and were already accessing AAA screening as part of a pilot in the Northwest.

RESOLVED: That the proposed changes to vascular services in South Cheshire be supported.