A NEW partnership is set to improve community healthcare in Warrington by increasing expertise and creating closer links between patients and health teams.
Transforming Community Services – a national programme – enables Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) across England to change the future of community healthcare in their areas.
NHS Warrington Trust Board recently decided in principle that around 70 per cent of community services currently provided by the PCT will be managed by Ashton Leigh and Wigan Community Healthcare – which will soon become a prestigious Community Foundation Trust.
The remaining 30 per cent of services will be managed in partnership by Warrington and Halton Hospitals Foundation Trust and Warrington Borough Council. This decision will be subject to further review prior to any definitive decision being made.
Nicky O’Connor, chief executive of NHS Warrington, said: “The changes are set to bolster community healthcare in Warrington by creating closer working between community, hospital and council teams and by sharing a larger pool of expertise in community services across a wider geographical footprint.
“The changes will affect the management arrangements for services – the community services themselves will continue to be provided in the community with the focus remaining to be the provision of excellent community health services for Warrington people.”
The proposal will be subject to consultation with staff, key stakeholders and clinicians, over the next few months before any final agreement is reached. This will help ensure that any changes to services will be in the best interests of patients. Staff will continue to be consulted through the process.
The Department of Health is highlighting the importance of providing care closer to home and patient feedback shows that patients often prefer to be treated at home or in a community clinic rather than being admitted to hospital. Community based healthcare is also more cost effective than hospital care.
In Warrington the Community Services Unit has already made strides in providing health services in the community which were traditionally hospital based, including intravenous therapy, end of life care and dermatology.
