A whirlwind of change in community health services!

Maria O’Brien was guest speaker at the Community Voice May meeting.

She covered so much ground that we felt a whirlwind had hit us! Her enthusiasm and dedication to patient services was transparent and exciting. Summarising is an impossible task.

Traditionally PCTs have commissioned services – which means planning and purchasing – and they have also provided community health services. NHS national policy now obliges PCTs to separate theses two roles. The former PCT provider services are now called Hillingdon Community Health which, from 1st April 2009, has been designated as an autonomous provider by NHS London. Maria O’Brien is its Managing Director.

However, Hillingdon Community Health is still responsible to the PCT Board although it is now an independent organisation with its own £30.5 million budget from Hillingdon PCT. It employs 550 staff to provide 32 different health services in patients’ homes and 19 clinics.

Its Adult Services include district and specialist nursing, podiatry, specialist dentistry, community matrons, various therapies, infection control, wheelchairs, rapid response teams, safeguarding adults service. It is responsible for two GP practices in the south of Hillingdon and also for the 22 bed in-patient facility at Mount Vernon in the Northwood and Pinner Community Unit.

Its Children’s & Young People Services include health visiting, child development, community paediatricians and nursing, various therapies, school nursing, safeguarding children, looking after children and also family planning and sexual health.

Various options are open to this new organisation. It could remain as it is or become a Community Foundation Trust. It could integrate with an acute NHS Trust or a Foundation Trust, or the Local Authority. It could become a Social Enterprise, outside the NHS, or merge with another PCT Provider. It could even become a private enterprise.

In 2009-10 it aims to focus on expanding and improving clinical services for local users, but it will also consult with staff, patients and the public, the local authority, hospital, and GPs before making recommendations about its future framework in Autumn 2009.

Within the next two months it hopes to achieve a wait of no more than two weeks for physiotherapy. It also plans to develop a “home” intravenous antibiotic service, expansion of the Rapid Response Service, a new wound care service, more community matrons to support patients with long term conditions and expansion of other services including diabetes, rehabilitation, immunisation and children’s services.

Hillingdon PCT has been very supportive, more so than many PCTs, with investment in community services and an extra 110 front-line posts in Hillingdon.
Questions came thick and fast. All were answered. It was a highly informative and interesting experience for the audience.

Many thanks to Maria O’Brien!

Joan