Patient champion call on NHS changes

HEALTH chiefs are looking for someone from Hinckley and Bosworth who will speak up for patients during vital service planning.

The aim is to recruit a community representative to provide the patient’s view on NHS care as part of talks to shape the future of services across the area.

The candidate will become an active member of a leadership group looking to develop the framework for an ‘integrated locality team’ for Hinckley and Bosworth.

The creation of these teams is a crucial part of the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) for the area.

The STP includes a focus on bringing together health and social care to provide support at home for people living with multiple long term conditions.

As the NHS nationally faces a multi-billion pound deficit up to 2020 new ways of working are seen as key to continuing services with less reliance on hospital care a prime aim.

A spokesman for the West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) the NHS body which plans and purchases health services for borough residents, said: “These teams will bring together a mix of health and social care staff who care for patients in their own homes. By integrating teams at a local level, patients will get better access to specialist support and won’t need as many separate appointments with different teams but will still have their GP at the heart of their care.

“In order to create the teams across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland we are trialing different ways of developing them to understand what works best for both patients and staff. “

If you are a registered patient in Hinckley and Bosworth and want to get involved contact Sue Venables, communications, engagement and involvement manager by email at susan. venables@ westleicestershireccg. nhs.uk to find out more, for an informal chat and to express an interest.