HEALTH and care partners are inviting people living in Stroud to share their views on the county’s five year Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP).
The Gloucestershire STP sets out significant challenges and a number of changes designed to tackle the predicted deficit in the county’s health and social care services.
The plan, which was published earlier this month, details strategies to reduce costs, change services and improve care.
As part of the STPs, the county’s NHS services will be forced to find £57 million in savings every year for the next four years.
This will see Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (GCCG) face an uphill battle to cut and save a total of £226 million by the end of the decade.
The STPs are being created by regions across the country and are seen by critics as a way of cutting funds from the NHS.
Health bosses have said “radical” steps and “tough choices” will have to be taken to achieve the eye watering demand.
Clinical chair of NHS GCCG, Dr Andy Seymour said: “We face a growing number of challenges, so need to accelerate the pace of change.
“Together with our staff, partners and the public, we need to be forward thinking in how we organise services and community support and use the money available to us.”
The main challenges facing the county include a growing population with more complex needs, increasing demand for services, escalating drug costs, recruiting enough staff with the right skills and expertise and considerable pressure on NHS and social care finances.
The STP sets out priorities including:
- Placing greater emphasis on prevention of illness and self-care, with investment to support this
- Providing more joined up care and support in people’s homes and in the community
- Exploring options to bring together some district general hospital services into ‘centres of excellence’ to ensure safety and quality
- Developing a ‘best use of medicines’ programme and priority fund the drugs and treatments that have the greatest health benefit for the population
- Developing a sustainable workforce
- Making the most of new technologies
Dr Seymour added: “We are now in a period of staff and public engagement over the priorities set out in the plan, and we want everyone to be able to have their say and know that their voice will be heard.
“Their feedback will enable us to develop detailed proposals for change for discussion over the course of next year.”
People in Gloucestershire are invited to provide their feedback by February 24, 2017, and there are a number of ways which this can be done.
Complete the Freepost survey online at www.gloucestershireSTP.net or at the back of the Short Guide (to request a copy of the Short Guide, contact yourviews.glosstp@nhs.net)
Send an email to: yourviews.glosstp@nhs.net
To read more about the STP and find out about how you can get involved, visit the STP website at: www.gloucestershireSTP.net
Gloucestershire’s STP:
• The NHS, working with the county council and a range of community partners, published the Gloucestershire five year Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) on Friday 11 November 2016.
• The Gloucestershire STP wants to achieve a healthier population which is:
- Less dependent on health and social care services.
- Living in more active communities – with strong networks of community support.
- Able to access consistently high quality, safe, physical and mental health care when needed.
• The Gloucestershire STP aims to meet a range of challenges such as: - Growing population with more complex needs, including children and young people.
- Increasing demand for services and rising public expectations.
- Encouraging greater personal responsibility – appropriate use of services and greater control of our own health, and that of our family.
- Rising cost of drugs and new medical technology.
- Recruiting and retaining enough staff with the right skills and expertise.
- Pressure on finances.
- Demographic pressures in bitesize: - In 2015 the registered population of the county was 632,500. This is projected to rise to 674,500 by 2030.
- There are currently 47,500 people aged over 65 with a long-term condition living in the county. By 2030 that is projected to rise to 77,000.
- By 2021 the number of people living in the county aged 75-84 is projected to rise by 20 per cent. Older people access more health and care services.
Moving forward the GCCC said it will need to:
• place a far greater emphasis on prevention and self-care, supported by additional investment in helping people to help themselves
• reduce variation – ensure doctors and nurses right across the county are following best clinical practice and that we always make wise decisions on use of medicines
• place a greater emphasis on joined up community-based care and support, provided in patients’ own homes and in community centres, supported by specialist staff and teams when needed
• continue to bring together specialist hospital based services and resources into ‘Centres of Excellence’
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The document says: “Our STP footprint is in financial balance, but the challenge remains significant over the five year planning horizon.
“Our plan identifies opportunities to make savings across our system split across our priority areas.
STPs have been created in 44 areas of England in the wake of a record £2.45bn deficit.
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