HEALTH MATTERS
DR Ian Hulme, clinical lead for mental health at NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group, and GP with Meadowside Medical Centre, Congleton THERE has been a lot in the news recently about proposals by the local NHS to redesign specialist mental health services for adults and older people in Eastern Cheshire, South Cheshire and Vale Royal. These services are used every year by around 7,000 people with severe or long-term mental ill health.
Doctors and nurses have developed these proposals because conversations with service users have revealed that services need to change to better meet the needs of the 95 per cent of patients who already receive their care in the community.
The proposed care model focuses on early intervention and prevention in the community to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and keep people well. It recognises that people don’t want to be in hospital unless it’s necessary. Stronger community services reduce the need for hospital care and we know that many inpatients in Macclesfield’s Millbrook Unit, a psychiatric inpatient facility, could have been supported in the community if the right services were in place.
The NHS believes the proposed model of care will improve services but no decisions will be made until after a 12-week public consultation running from March 6 to May 29. There are three options:
Option 1 – Do not introduce the proposed new model of care. The Millbrook Unit would stay open but there would be no improvement or development of community care, crisis care, dementia outreach or inpatient care unless funding was taken from other local NHS services. Including loan repayments, it would cost £14m to bring Millbrook up to the standards expected by the Care Quality Commission.
Option 2 (preferred option) – Improve community and crisis teams, provide local crisis beds within the community, older people’s inpatient care at Lime Walk House, Macclesfield and adult inpatient care at Bowmere, Chester. This scored highest during appraisal as it provides all the improved community services, has an on-site psychiatric intensive care unit for adults and doesn’t require additional travel for older people.
Option 3 – Improve community and crisis teams, provide local crisis beds within the community, provide adult inpatient care at Lime Walk House, Macclesfield and older people’s inpatient care at Bowmere, Chester.
The main difference to Option 2 is that older people would have to travel further.
You can #JoinThe Conversation by visiting www.easterncheshireccg. nhs.uk and completing our online survey.
You can request a paper copy by calling freephone 0808 169 1189 or emailing mlcsu.consultation@nhs. net.
There are also six public events, the first of which takes place today (Wednesday) in Macclesfield Town Hall from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. You don’t have to have registered to attend although it may be necessary to turn people away if capacity is reached.
Visit www.eastern cheshireccg.nhs.uk for details of other events.