THE West Midlands Clinical Senate has given the green light to the proposed model for the Alexandra Hospital and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, paving the way to a new public consultation period in the autumn.
The Senate is the ‘clinical conscience and guiding intelligence’ for strategic service change within the new NHS. Combining expert clinical leaders with patient involvement, they provide proactive and reactive advice across the healthcare system for the benefit of improved patient outcomes and population health. They have examined the plan submitted by WHAT and agreed it is the best way forward.
Karen Lumley, MP for Redditch County, said: “This model has now been agreed by every stakeholder in our county including Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group).
“The proposals will now move to a consultation period which I’m hoping will start in September where all residents will be able to have their say. There will be public meetings where you will be able to go along and question clinicians and express your views which is what I hope you will do. I want everyone to look at the proposals closely.
“This has been going on now for six years. It is vital we sort this out. Unfortunately, due to the uncertainty over our Trust we have been unable to recruit staff leading to unsafe services.
“However I am certain we will see a thriving hospital in Redditch now with new services arriving. The health service is changing all over the country and the Government has put billions of pounds of extra resources into it.”
The Government has commitment to increase NHS spending in England by £10 billion per annum in real terms by 2020/21, of which £6 billion will be delivered by the end of 2016/17. This will allow the NHS to offer 800,000 operations and treatments and spend up to £2 billion more on new drugs. It will also ensure that by 2020, everyone will be able to access GP services at evenings and weekends.
For full details of the recent proposals as they affect the Alexandra Hospital visit the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust website at: http://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/news/clinical-model-for-the-future-of-worcestershires-acute-hospital-services/
