Health care comes closer to home

WARRINGTON patients have been promised more choice over where they are treated, as a result of changes to local health services which will see more care delivered in the community.
The changes have been announced by Warrington Health Consortium, which has begun taking over the responsibility for planning NHS care for local people from NHS Warrington, the Primary Care Trust.
The consortium led a clinical review of local health services to ensure they were high quality, delivered good value for money and worked well for patients. Following these reviews, local people will begin to see immediate improvements in how their services are delivered.
Outpatients will now be able to see their consultant in the community and choose where they would like to go for their appointments. These clinics will be offered at numerous locations, including a newly developed health facility at Newton Community Hospital.
In future, patients will also be able to access treatments at the new Orford Park and town centre developments and some GP Practices.
Plans to improve local musculoskeletal (orthopaedic) services were also announced.
Local people in need of orthopaedic care won’t always have to go to hospital for treatment. Joint injections will be made available at GP practices and more physiotherapy appointments will be offered in the community.
A commitment has also been made to only offer surgery if the procedure will guarantee the best results for the patient.
Warrington will also see an expansion of its Community Respiratory service. This will mean more evening and weekend services for those who need them and some treatments delivered in people’s homes rather than in hospital.
The changes to local services will see a reduction in the amount of unnecessary time patients spend in hospital, after treatment at A&E and care brought closer to home for people accessing mental health support services.
Dr Andrew Davies, chairman of the Warrington Health Consortium said: “These changes are absolutely necessary to ensure that we continue to offer people in Warrington the best possible health services closer to where they live. Importantly, the decision making process has been clinically led focussing on what is right for our patients and how we can offer the best possible value for money and use of NHS resources.
“We also want to reassure people that they should expect the same high standards of healthcare in the community as they would in hospital. The decision to bring health care closer to communities is happening up and down the country and it’s proven to work really well for patients. Our idea is to improve quality and secure financial stability, whilst giving people more choice in where they are cared for, so they can access faster treatment in the places that are more convenient for them.”