The leader of Norfolk’s community-based NHS Trust has been appointed to a leading role of a national forum which strives to inform national policy and further improve NHS community services.

has been appointed as the Chair of the NHS Confederation’s Community Health Services Forum.

The forum aims to provide support to community-based service providers across the country, enabling the sharing of best practice care. It also aims to create a clear narrative to help the NHS and policy-makers better understand the importance of community health services and to give a strong voice to these service providers in order to positively influence policy.

On his appointment Michael said: “I am passionate about developing community services as a real alternative to acute care, and as Chair, I want the confederation’s Community Health Services Forum to make a real difference to this key issue, both nationally and locally.

“More services and better care, in or near people’s homes, is what patients tell us they want. Common sense tells us that this is a key means of reducing pressure on acute hospital-based services.

“What we need is a major shift in resources to support the transfer of care into community settings and to focus our efforts on keeping people well and out of hospital, so that the acute services are able to cope with a more sensible demand through their doors.

“As well as being good for patients, it makes good financial sense too. The bottom line is that increased investment in the community could help to save the NHS money. Acute hospital care is known to be more expensive than caring for people in the community and we all have to get the balance right and make best use of our resources.

“The pressures in A&E we are currently seeing up and down the country, and within our own county, are a symptom of a whole system that is out of alignment. It’s a system-wide problem and requires a system-wide response.

“It’s time to invest the expertise of community health trusts into prevention and early intervention, so that we can play as full a part in that response as possible.

“The NHS trust I lead, for example, has a proven track record of delivering excellent community-based care locally, but further investment would give us the ability to provide so much more, and help us to help our acute colleagues.

“We are working closely with our commissioners locally, including the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), to see how Norfolk’s community-based services can be further strengthened and how we can help divert demand from other local services.”

Michael believes that more integration between health and social care services, and stronger partnership working between community and primary services, will benefit patients too. By joining up the health and care services available to them, there is less risk of people ‘falling between the gaps where one service begins and another ends, and their facing a long line of different health or care members on their doorsteps’.

“Duplications of costs between health and social care are another set of expense that we can all ill-afford. Sensible, joined up health and care offers savings, but most importantly, it offers a better and safer service for our patients and social care clients.”

The Community Health Services Forum is part of the NHS Confederation – a national body representing all organisations which commission and provide NHS services, including community health service providers, acute trusts, ambulance trusts, and clinical commissioning groups.

It works with its members and health and social care partners to help the NHS guarantee high standards of care for patients and best value for taxpayers. This includes making sense of the whole health system, influencing policy, and supporting its members to implement best practice.

Michael was voted in as chair by fellow members of the forum and brings decades of NHS and social care experience to the role. He has been NCH&C’s Chief Executive since January 2012, and has more than 30 years’ of leadership experience across social care, the NHS and Department of Health.

He started his career within social services in the 1980s before joining the NHS to work in a trust running community, mental health and learning disabilities services.

During his career he has acted as CEO of acute hospital trusts and mental health services. He has worked as a regional director within the Audit Commission, and as a director of the NHS Modernisation Agency.

While CEO of a London primary care trust, he oversaw increased investment in community services to keep people healthy and out of hospital.

www.norfolkcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk

 

 ICENI Taekwon-do