Public health services meeting for Southwold and Reydon area

>July Events / Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / Health & Wellbeing July 3, 2015

An additional public meeting has been set up to give people in the Southwold and Reydon area the chance to find out more about proposed changes designed to improve health services and provide more joined-up care closer to people’s homes.

HealthEast, the clinical commissioning group for Great Yarmouth and Waveney, has arranged the extra meeting in response to public demand and as part of its shape of the system consultation, which began at the start of June.

It will take place at the Stella Peskett Millennium Hall on Monday 13 July between 6pm and 8pm.

The meeting will give people a chance to find out more about the consultation, which asks for views on plans to deliver more care outside of a hospital setting, in turn helping to increase people’s independence and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.

Rebecca Driver, director of engagement with HealthEast, said: “We want to give as many people as possible the chance to find out more about these proposals, ask questions and share their views with us, so have organised a second public meeting in Southwold to make it easier for them to do just that.

“We would encourage anyone with an interest in healthcare to come along to any of the meetings we have arranged over the coming weeks, write to us or respond online with their feedback so that we can make sure any improvements we make reflect their views and will continue to meet the needs of our patients.”

The proposed changes have been based on a model used very successfully in Lowestoft, where an ‘out of hospital team’ is delivering improved care specially tailored to individual patients’ needs. The team is made up of health and social care professionals, and has been well-received by patients, families and carers, who highly rate the joined-up service it provides. Since its introduction, it has also helped reduce emergency admissions to hospital, bucking the national trend.

The consultation looks at two proposals, which are:

1. Developing more community-based services by:

Introducing out of hospital teams across the whole of Great Yarmouth and Waveney. An out of hospital team is a team of staff with health and social care skills that work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help support people going through a crisis.
Supporting the out of hospital teams with NHS-funded ‘beds with care’ provided in local nursing and residential homes. These will provide short term care and treatment and help people recover and regain their independence, supported by professionals from the out of hospital teams.
Basing the out of hospital teams in new community hubs across the area.

2. Community hospitals:

Permanently closing the GP community hospital beds at Southwold, Patrick Stead, Northgate and All Hallows Hospitals and replace with out of hospital teams and local NHS ‘beds with care’ as set out in proposal one. GP community hospital beds are beds where the medical support is provided by GPs.
Change the use of Beccles Hospital inpatient beds to provide an intermediate care facility for Great Yarmouth and Waveney. Intermediate care is for patients who have longer term needs due to medical and/or social care issues which need to be sorted out before they can go home.

HealthEast has made it as easy as possible for people to respond to the consultation. They can:

fill in a questionnaire online, at www.greatyarmouthandwaveneyccg.nhs.uk
write to Freepost RSUL-UGLK-JJRA, Shape of the system consultation, NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney CCG, Beccles House, 1 Common Lane North, Beccles, NR34 9BN
attend a public meeting, which take place:Mon 6 July, The Kings Centre, Great Yarmouth, 10am – 12 noon
Tues 7 July, The Cut, Halesworth, 7pm – 9pm
Mon 13 July, Stella Peskett Millennium Hall, Southwold, 6pm – 8pm
Wed 15 July, The Comfort Hotel, Great Yarmouth, 6pm – 8pm