Radical health shake-up scraps in-patient care

Residents feel their services continue to 'erode'

A radical shake-up of health provision in Angus will result in the permanent removal of in-patient services at Brechin and Montrose infirmaries.

Health bosses have been forced to implement plans to address a situation where almost a third of Angus hospital beds can lie empty at times.

Health chiefs say a new model of care is needed because current provision is “unsustainable and unsafe in the long term”.

The plans include a role for the Mulberry adult mental health ward at Stracathro which is facing the axe later this month.

Angus Conservative MP Kirstene Hair slammed the move, saying: “From changes to local hospital procedures, to a mental health model which will almost certainly see an end to general acute psychiatry access within the county, Angus residents feel that their services are continuing to erode.”

Inpatient beds at Brechin and Montrose infirmaries are to be permanently removed under plans for a shake-up of health care provision in Angus.

A blueprint for the future agreed by members of the Angus Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board (IJB) outlined opportunities for development in care homes, minor injury and out of hours and inpatient care services to facilitate what health chiefs say will be a more integrated approach.

Health bosses say the rethink is required to address a situation in which almost one-third of Angus hospital beds lie empty at times.

Under the plans inpatient care will not be delivered from Brechin Infirmary, which has been non-operational since October 2015 or from Montrose Infirmary where the environment is said to be no longer suitable for the delivery of modern healthcare.

The changes could see a new role for the mothballed Mulberry adult mental health unit at Stracathro.

The meeting also heard that current hospital provision is “unsustainable and unsafe in the long term.”

In an IJB report, chief officer Vicky Irons said optimising resources and joining up health and social work services is critical to realising the ambitions of health and social care integration.

“This approach requires people to be central to decisions about their own needs, outcomes and support. We are focused on delivering an approach to integration that has a much greater emphasis on prevention, early intervention, self-management, supporting people in their own homes and communities and less dependence on hospitals and care homes,” she said.

“There are warning signs about the ageing future workforce in health and social care. There are buildings in current use that are not fit for purpose. We have more hospital beds than we need and our workforce is therefore not deployed to best effect.

“Our available resources will not be able to support all of our predicted commitments without change.”

Inpatient care for stroke, psychiatry of old age, medicine for the elderly, and palliative care services will be delivered from Stracathro, Whitehills Health and Community Care Centre in Forfar and Arbroath Infirmary.

The board heard some GPS had questions about access to community beds, which will be managed by consultants under the new model. GPS had also requested to be involved in plans for intermediate care home beds in North East Angus.

A commitment was given to continue to develop local plans with GPS and to ensure patient care is managed jointly with consultant colleagues.

“We have more hospital beds than we need and our workforce is therefore not deployed to best effect

Chief officer Vicky Irons says there must be a greater emphasis on prevention, early intervention, selfmanagement and supporting people in their own homes.