Town’s healthcare shake-up on hold
PUBLIC consultation over a major shake-up of health services for Hinckley is still no nearer being launched.
Discussions and engagement events have been going on for more than 18 months as part of plans to reorganise community healthcare.
NHS bosses need to make radical changes in the face of a potential £399 million budget shortfall across the county by 2021.
Locally plans involve closing Hinckley District Hospital on Mount Road, extending services at the Mount Road health centre and developing cancer screening and day case procedures at Ashby Road.
However, these material changes are dependent on NHS England providing £7.7 million. While discussions are ongoing, West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) the body which buys and plans healthcare for the borough, has yet to receive confirmation these funds will be forthcoming.
It means a public consultation, which must take place before any final decisions are made, remains in the ether.
CCG chiefs had suggested the consultation would take place last spring. This was then put off due to the EU referendum.
A year on and there is still no timetable for putting the proposals, part of a wider Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) out for public scrutiny.
Lib Dem councillor, David Bill, has long fought for sustainable, local health services for Hinckley. He has attended numerous meetings organised by the CCG to highlight and explain its plans.
The most recent event took place at the end of March at Hinckley Golf Club. Councillor Bill said: “How will the cash be found to finance all the changes which need to take place? We were told, for example, at the meeting that there will be a £399 million funding gap locally by 2021.
“Treatment is already changing and the current proposals will take the process further if, as in the case of Hinckley, £7.7m can be found to fund the proposed changes to the district and community hospitals.”
A key component of the plans involves enhancing and increasing care in the community. Support and rehabilitation services for example will be offered as ‘athome’ services rather than provided in hospital.
This tenet would allow a ward at Hinckley and Bosworth Com- munity Hospital on Ashby Road to close, reducing in-patient facilities by four but providing capacity for a new endoscopy suite and day procedure beds.
Dr Nick Willmott, from the CCG said they were waiting to hear from NHS England for authorisation to consult on the changes
He added: “We have always said that it is not about cuts but about the choices of how we spend the public money. It is about a system-wide approach to better delivery of health and social care across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
“In order to be able to deliver this system-wide approach and move care from the large acute trust to local community settings we need to redesign our services. We need to reorganise our city and community hospitals and strengthen our GP practices.”