An electronic health record for everybody in Surrey.

 As a Royal Surrey Governor representative I attend the so-called stakeholder group for the Surrey Heartlands Transformation Programme. The latter is a collaboration between all the key players in the area including the Royal Surrey. It will be making a substantial impact on many aspects of health care. One project worth mentioning at this time is the intention to create an electronic health record for all residents of Surrey. It will start by drawing data from GP systems and then expand out to other care providers. Plans are in hand to send information to all households and will include the option to opt out.

Restricting over-the-counter prescribing

NHS England has launched a public consultation on reducing prescribing of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for minor, short-term health concerns which could save the NHS £136 million a year and encourage more people to self care. A list of 33 minor health concerns has been identified by a national joint clinical working group which are either self-limiting or suitable for self-care. Vitamins/minerals and probiotics have also been included as items of low clinical effectiveness which are of high cost to the NHS. To see the list and participate in the consultation follow the link below:

https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/over-the-counter-items-not-routinely-prescribed/

Community Services update

On 17 March the Royal Surrey will formally take over from Virgin Care the running of Adult Community Health Services in Guildford and Waverley. It will be a great challenge but presents many exciting opportunities not least of which is to have care pathways which extend from acute care at the Royal Surrey right in to Community care including Haslemere and Milford hospitals.

Staff employed by Virgin Care will transfer back in to the NHS as employees of the Royal Surrey. When Procare, the federation of 90% of GPs in the area, is ready and recognised as a qualified supplier of health services, district  nursing and community matron service staff will become employees of Procare  who will be under contract to the Royal Surrey. This will create a direct link between district nursing and GP services with many possible advantages.

The existing Royal Surrey Board and thus Governors such as myself will oversee these community services in addition to the Royal Surrey as now. Big change in scope!

Royal Surrey Community contract

The Royal Surrey together with Procare Health Ltd have bid for the contract to run adult Community Services across Guildford and Waverley including Haslemere, Milford and Cranleigh Community Hospitals. They are the preferred bidder at this time and therefore, subject to detailed agreements, can expect to be successful to start at beginning 2018/19. These services were run by Virgin Healthcare.

Procare Health Ltd is a private company run by GPs.

Bringing together provision of acute and community services offers many exciting opportunities provided of course that the services are well run in accord with community wishes and involvement. Haslemere, Farnham and Milford Hospitals have a special place in the hearts of the communities they serve and it will be important to ensure those communities are happy with the change in management and the opportunities that presents.

More information when I get it.

Awards

Five teams in the Royal Surrey were shortlisted recently for the Nursing Times award. Although they didn't win the fact that five were shortlisted is a great credit to the hospital.

Strokes. 

I may have been quiet recently about Stroke Services but I have been actively pursing the matter of ensuring that Guildford stroke victims who are taken to St Peters Hyper Acute Stroke Unit have the option of being cared for in the Royal Surrey once they have been stabilised. This would put them on the same basis as those patients in the Royal Surrey Catchment area e.g. Cranleigh who are taken to Frimley Hospital. It is difficult persuading those in authority whose minds seem to be closed but I continue to try and will be meeting Paula Head the Royal Surrey Chief Executive in the New Ya-ear to sort out how I might proceed further.

Stroke services decision

Today (7 September) the Guildford and Waverly and N W surrey CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) met to decide on Stroke Services following their consultation.  As proposed, the two HASUs (Hyper-Acute Stroke Units) in West Surrey will be at Frimley Park Hospital and St Peters Hospital in Chertsey. This is despite over 60% of respondents opposing the proposals essentially because those consulted wanted the two to be Frimley and the Royal Surrey.

However there was a very significant change re ASUs (Acute Stroke Units to which patients go once they are stabilised in a HASU). I and fellow Governors (see earlier blogs) pressed for the Royal Surrey to have an ASU and for involvement in rehabilitation rather than everything happening in St Peters and Frimley Park. This was clearly the wish at the meeting which the Royal Surrey organised for Trust members. The Royal Surrey after the members’ meeting submitted a proposal on those lines.

I am pleased to say that the CCGs have decided that there should be a “networked HASU and ASU” arrangement between Frimley and the Royal Surrey with the ASU being located in the Royal Surrey. They have also decided that there be bedded specialist rehabilitation in the Royal Surrey linked to the ASU and with access to non-specialist rehabilitation.

This good news BUT a similar arrangement with ST Peters has not been agreed. That is not good news for the people of Guildford the majority of whom will be taken to the St Peters’ HASU. I raised this at the joint meeting of the two CCGs and they agreed to look at this again, However such undertakings have a habit of dying and so I will be doing my best to ensure this does not happen.