Issue - meetings

Andy Ennis, Director of Service Development at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will do a presentation on the Clinical Services Strategy.

The Committee received a presentation by Andy Ennis, Director of Service Development at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on the clinical strategy.

The presentation detailed:

• Mid Cheshire Hospitals vision
• The key challenges
• The key objectives
• The strategic context with regard to the clinical drivers of change
• The political and financial strategic context
• The physical infrastructure
• What services should be provided

With regard to the physical infrastructure, it was reported that, due to funding, it would not now be possible to build a new hospital.

Mr Ennis reported there were three key challenges to local health care.

• Surgical provision
• Moving emergency care into the community
• Obstetric and Paediatric care.

Changes in surgical provision mean that in order to provide a safe service, partnerships with other acute providers would be required which may mean patients would need to travel further for specialised surgery.

For medical services a greater emphasis would be placed in managing patients in the community either preventing admission to hospital or keeping the admission to the minimum. Close partnerships with GP’s, Social Services, community providers and the voluntary sector would be required in order for this to progress.

A similar picture was emerging for Obstetric care, a move to 24 hr consultant cover would mean not all units would be able to maintain local services. This had the potential to effect the provision of neonatal and paediatric services.

No plans existed for services to change in the immediate future, but work continued to understand the impact of national policies on local service provision.

Members suggested that the possibility of general practitioners undertaking minor operations should be revisited, as this would relive some of the pressures from hospitals.

RESOLVED

That the possibility of general practitioners undertaking minor operations be revisited with a view to relieving some of the pressures from hospitals.