Here you can find details of our past consultation and engagement activities.
Public Consultation about Rothbury Community Hospital
THIS CONSULTATION IS NOW CLOSED.
We have started a public consultation on some proposed changes at Rothbury Community Hospital. This will run from 31 January to 25 April 2017.
The proposal is:
Permanent closure of the 12 inpatient beds and shape existing health and care services around a Health and Wellbeing Centre on the hospital site.
This would result in the permanent closure of the inpatient ward at Rothbury Community Hospital but it includes continuing discussions with local people about how we can shape existing health and care services around a Health and Wellbeing Centre on the hospital site.
Developing such a centre is something that local people have talked to us about. There have been discussions for some time about the GP practice relocating there. We also feel there are opportunities to provide more physiotherapy and outpatient clinics which could include patients having an appointment at the hospital but talking to a specialist through a video link.
We know some people feel strongly that there should be some respite and end of life care in Rothbury. However, respite care is not funded by the NHS and only a small number of people have died at Rothbury Community Hospital in recent years. Since the proposal does not include inpatient beds, we would be very keen to hear more from people about how they think a community based service could be developed which would provide these types of care.
The proposal would ensure that we make best and most efficient use of the staff and facilities available to us and would be in line with national and local policy to provide more care outside of hospital. It would also result in savings to the CCG of £500,000.
Although we looked at other options, after much consideration we decided to consult on only one. This is because we want to be honest with local people and not consult on options that would not be viable.
A video from our Clinical Chair, Dr Alistair Blair is below.
A review of beds at Rothbury Community Hospital showed that from September 2015 to August 2016 there were 123 admissions from the town and surrounding area plus a further 45 involving people from outside the area. On average, this means that half of the beds were occupied at any one time during that year.
This decrease in use has happened following the many medical advances which mean that patients are spending much less time in hospital after operations or serious illnesses. There have been improvements to the care provided since the opening of the new Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, Cramlington. Very sick and seriously injured patients are seen quickly by the right specialist and have a much faster diagnosis with treatment beginning much earlier than before.
There is also very clear national and local policy around the development of much more care outside of hospital to help people stay well and independent.
Figures available to us show that more people living in Rothbury and the surrounding area are already receiving services at home, including those provided by community/district nurses, the short term support service and home carers.
Although Rothbury Community Hospital has provided care for people with terminal illness, the number who were receiving care in the hospital at the end of their lives has remained small over a number of years. This is due to more people being supported to die at home.
Also, there is now national evidence to show that older people fare better at home than they do in hospital. Prolonged hospital stays can increase their risk of infection and can also impact on their mobility and confidence to live independently at home.
How you can make your views known
Copies of the main consultation document and a summary leaflet will be available in public venues in Rothbury and the surrounding area and can also be downloaded here:
We would like to understand more about:
- any concerns or views you may have
- how you think we could shape existing health and care services around a Health and Wellbeing Centre on the hospital site in Rothbury.
People can:
- Complete the survey: online or hard copy on request.
- Email comments to: norccg.enquiries@nhs.net
- Write to: Rothbury Community Hospital Consultation, NHS Northumberland
- Clinical Commissioning Group, County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2EF
- Call us: 01670 335178
- Attend one of the public events.
We will also be writing to local groups and organisations to ask if they would like us to attend their meetings to talk about the consultation. We have asked Healthwatch Northumberland to facilitate some discussion groups to target older people.
Comments made in any community or other meetings we attend to discuss the proposal during the consultation period will also be noted and taken into consideration.
Public Events
Public meetings:
Thursday 16 February
2.00pm – 4.00pm, Jubilee Hall, Bridge Street, Rothbury NE65 7SD
Thursday 30 March
6.30pm – 8.30pm, Jubilee Hall
Drop-in sessions:
- Saturday 4 March – 10.00am – 12.00pm, Simonside Room, Jubilee Hall
- Monday 13 March – 4.00pm – 6.00pm, The Group Room, Rothbury Community Hospital, Whitton Bank Road, Rothbury, NE65 7RW
- Tuesday 21 March – 6.00pm – 8.00pm, The Group Room, Rothbury Community Hospital
- Wednesday 5 April – 2.00pm – 4.00pm, Simonside Room, Jubilee Hall
Options considered
Taking into consideration the strong feelings expressed about retaining the inpatient ward, the CCG explored five options.
The following criteria were used to assess each one:
- Feedback from residents
- Patient choice
- Staffing/resource implications
- Quality
- Cost effectiveness
- Additional resources required/cost
- Timeline i.e. the time it would take to implement
- Strategic fit i.e. how it fitted against national policy and the longer term plans for the local NHS
In addition, a second assessment was also carried out, focused specifically on the requirement for CCGs to ensure efficient, effective and economic use of resources.
The tables showing the assessment of the five options against the above criteria and also against how efficient, effective and economic they would be are available below:
- Rothbury Community Hospital Future Options
- Rothbury Community Hospital – Option Appraisal Against the three E
Timescales
The consultation will extend over a 12 week period from 31 January to 25 April 2017.
We are planning to be in a position to make a decision on the way forward by summer 2017. The decision will be made in public and any reports will be available here. We will make sure that the decision is communicated widely.
Other useful information
Sustainability and transformation plans
THIS CONSULTATION IS NOW CLOSED.
Give your views on the draft sustainability and transformation plans for Northumberland, Tyne, Wear and North Durham
Health and social care organisations across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and North Durham have developed an ambitious draft plan to improve the health and well being of the 1.7m people living in the area.
The draft plan is one of 44 such plans being developed across the country in response to NHS England’s Five Year Forward View (5YFV), a national plan that set out a vision for a better NHS. The sustainability and transformation plan (STP) for Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and North Durham describes an approach to how the vision of the 5YFV could be delivered locally by 2021.
It sets out proposals to:
- Improve health inequalities
- Ensure safe and sustainable local health and care services
- Fill a funding gap that could be as large as £641m by 2021.
The STP is built on lots of work that has already begun across the area and it sets out proposals, which if taken forward, would mean that by 2021:
- The health inequalities in the area will be reduced to be comparable to the rest of the country
- The area will have thriving out of hospital services that attract and retain the staff they need to best support their patients
- There will be high quality hospital and specialist care across the whole area, seven days a week.
Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and North Durham has strong health and social care services and has seen the fastest increase in life expectancy in England in recent years. But the health and well being gap compared to other parts of the country remains stubbornly high and the STP describes how, if action isn’t taken to reduce that gap, then the burden on local services will be too high in the future for services to continue to be safe and sustainable.
The 5YFV identifies three main gaps – health and well being, care and quality, and funding – and the STP proposes to address those gaps locally by focusing on:
- Scaling up work on ill-health prevention and improving well being
- Improving the quality and experience of care by increasing collaboration between organisations that provide out of hospital care and making the best use of acute or hospital based services
- Closing the gap in local finances.
The publication of the draft STP starts a programme of engagement that runs until the end of January 2017 to raise awareness of the proposals and listen to any ideas or concerns about the detail of the draft plan.
The outcomes from this phase of engagement will help to shape the next version of the STP, and any subsequent potential proposals to do any major changes to NHS services will be subject to a programme of formal public engagement and consultation in the future.
To find out more about drafts and to have your say on the STP click on the links below:
An Easyread version of the Draft Sustainability and Transformation plan is available to download.
- Full draft STP. This is a technical document submitted on 21st October to NHS England, NHS Improvement and Public Health England
- Draft STP public summary document – this document aims to aid the understanding the draft STP technical submission.
- Slide presentation based upon the public summary document – this aims to aid the understanding the draft STP technical submission
How to give your views
No partner organisation has formally ‘signed off’ the draft plan because there is no requirement to do so. This is now the start of an engagement process which will continue over the next several months.
The engagement on the current draft will formally start on 23rd November and will continue to Friday 20th January (8 weeks). We will be organising some events so please sign up to MY NHS or check back for more information when these become available.
This period of engagement will then inform the next version of the STP.
Any future potential NHS service reconfigurations would still require their own case for change and formal consultation process in their local area in line with NHS statutory duties to engage and consult and other NHS policy guidance.
This offers a number of opportunities for local authorities, NHS organisations, community and voluntary sector organisations and other interest groups to consider the draft plans as they develop and for their views to inform the next stages.
We welcome views on the content of this draft STP.
You can:
Complete the online questionnaire. This contains some key questions to consider which may help responses.
Write to us at:
Draft sustainability and transformation plan feedback
Freepost RTUS-LYHZ-BRLE
North of England Commissioning Support
Riverside House, Goldcrest Way
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE15 8NY
Email: NGCCG.STP-NTWNDfeedback@nhs.net
Please feedback views before midnight on Friday 20th January 2017
Next steps
Once we have collected all views, we will publish a feedback report.
How to keep in touch
If you would like to be notified about opportunities to get involved to give your views on local NHS issues, sign up to My NHS.
Closure of Collingwood Medical Group
Collingwood Medical Group in Blyth has taken the difficult decision to terminate its contract and will no longer provide GP services from December 2018.
The CCG has had to make a decision about what to do to ensure patients have access to health care locally.
After careful consideration of all the available options, we have reluctantly decided that the practice will close permanently and will stop delivering GP services on 30 November 2018.
All patients registered at Collingwood Medical Group should have received a letter from the CCG informing them of this decision and to ask them to begin thinking about registering with an alternative practice in the coming months.
Included in this letter was a list of nearby practices that patients can approach and we also provided answers to some frequently asked questions. You can find copies of these documents below.
How can people get further information
Three drop-in meetings have been arranged for any patients who would like to stop by for a short time to gain further information or raise any concerns in person. These sessions will be attended by the CCG alongside representatives from NHS England, Collingwood Medical Group, Healthwatch Northumberland and the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
Drop-in sessions
- Wednesday 4 July, 1pm – 3pm, Blyth Community Enterprise Centre, Ridley Street, Blyth NE24 3AG
- Wednesday 11 July, 2pm – 4pm, Briardale Community Centre, Briardale Road, Blyth NE24 5AN
- Monday 16 July, 4.30pm – 6.30pm, Blyth Community Enterprise Centre, Ridley Street, Blyth NE24 3AG
People can also:
- Contact Healthwatch Northumberland on 03332 408 468 (local call rate) or email info@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk.
- Contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at:
Telephone: Freephone 0800 032 02 02
Write: FREEPOST PALS
Text: 01670 511098
Email: northoftynepals@nhct.nhs.uk
- Email comments to norccg.enquiries@nhs.net
- Write to: NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group, County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2EF