This article was written by Damian and published in last week's Petersfield Post and Herald:
"Health care is one of the most important issues, both nationally and locally, and more so as the NHS and social care services look to rebuild after the pandemic.
It is also undergoing significant reform through the NHS Long Term Plan, which aims to address concerns and pressures from a growing and aging population.
People will always be at the heart of health care - the patients it serves and the staff needed to deliver the service - but the Long Term Plan will also consider the opportunities that technology and medical advances can offer.
The structure of the NHS does remain complex, but the introduction of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) from last week (1st July), will see local organisations come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services for local communities.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICS will cover a significant area, serving a population of 1.9 million.
It includes 3 acute hospital trusts, 1 ambulance service partnership, 2 community and mental health trusts, 158 GP practices and around 77,000 NHS and social care staff.
Working together across all of these areas will undoubtedly have its challenges, but the benefits could be significant, with a focus on improving outcomes and getting closer to communities.
We’ve already seen part of this longer term vision, with Petersfield Hospital becoming an Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) last year. The service is now able to treat a wider range of conditions and is open 12 hours a day, every day.
This is turn should reduce the need for people to attend A&E departments, with people also encouraged to use NHS 111 to help find the right service for their symptoms or problem.
This could range from seeing a pharmacist, making an appointment with a GP, arranging a visit to a UTC or advice to head to an emergency department.
Capital investment is important and plans for a new emergency care facility at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth are moving forward. The improvements will boost capacity for critical care but also provide better access to specialist scanning and testing services.
And announced in 2020, plans for a new hospital near Basingstoke will be the centrepiece of a much wider programme that brings together NHS and social care providers across Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Winchester and the surrounding areas.
The impact of the programme will involve GPs, mental health, community care, social care and the wider voluntary sector, as well as acute hospital care.
There was also recent news on proposals for an Elective Hub to be built in Winchester and operational by spring 2024, serving the needs of the whole of Hampshire and Isle of Wight area.
This would provide more capacity for non-urgent operations, including those for urology (kidney, bladder and urinary), Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and orthopaedics (such as hip and knee replacements).
With 4 operating theatres and 44 beds, the hub would be staffed by a multi-disciplinary team, and focus on those who have been waiting the longest and have the greatest need.
Closer to home, progress is being made on the new Health Hub in Whitehill & Bordon, with funding secured to bring together primary and community care services, working with both the Badgerswood and Forest surgeries as well as the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust (SHFT).
Planning proposals are due to be submitted in the autumn, with construction due to start in mid 2023, and of course Chase Hospital will remain open until the new health hub is fully operational.
And with a new maternity facility at Badgerswood Surgery, as well as a new 22-bed rehabilitation and recovery ward at Alton Community Hospital, there are important steps being taken to improve how local communities are served.
Uppermost in many people’s mind will be access to a GP. Recent data for Hampshire show that the total number of appointments has increased and 60 per cent of appointments are now face to face.
More work is underway to help improve access, recognising that many practices are still delivering covid vaccination services.
Covid has not gone away, and I would certainly encourage anyone that is eligible for a vaccination to come forward for their jabs or boosters, ahead of any wider programme.
The pandemic has put extraordinary pressure on the NHS and social care services, and highlighted the need for some of the longer term reforms that are already envisioned.
Focusing on the needs of people, whether patients, relatives or friends, clinicians or support staff, is fundamental to our NHS.
Celebrating its birthday this week, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the NHS, the doctors and nurses, and care staff, for everything throughout the pandemic, and we will again into the future."
