'Major changes to local services' Event
Key changes
The panel included Kathryn Magson, Chief Officer and Dr Kate Moore, Vice Clinical Chair, both at Richmond Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
The raft of changes and these plans were set out in the Five Year Forward View. They involve reducing the demand on, and therefore the amount of care provided in, acute hospitals by moving more health into the community.
For further information on the Five Year Forward plan.
The second change was Richmond-specific: the Financial Recovery Plan. Richmond was expected to have a £20 million deficit, and planned to tackle this by:
- moving care out of hospitals and into the community
- working with providers to reduce duplication and costs
- establishing stricter criteria for procedures including knee surgery, cataracts, bunion surgery and IVF
- encouraging people to care for and manage their conditions.
Downloads
Further details of the changes can be found in the presentation given during the event.
Tough questions
The audience passionately shared viewpoints around the planned changes. You can read a transcript of the Question and Answer session in the downloads below.
Many expressed strong support for the NHS and asked for reassurances around the future of those services they use. Some people expressed concern over the impact of cost-cutting at this scale. Others had questions about the details of the plans and their attainability.
Commissioners were asked about the changes to specific treatments, and audience members expressed concerns over the impact to patients on treatments for sleep apnea, arthroscopic knee surgery and bunion surgery. Richmond CCG committed to providing details of the policy changes. We are disappointed that this has not yet been forthcoming, however the changes were also scheduled to be discussed at the governing body meeting held in public in January 2017.
Further up-to-date information on access to surgery.
Some concern was expressed by people about changes to the range of medications available on prescription. Richmond CCG has clarified that only medications available over the counter without the need for prescription would be considered.
Commissioners also spoke on localisation of some services, which would contribute in the long run to the cost savings. Asked whether the expenditure required to make the changes is affordable, given the immense financial pressure on the NHS, Ms Magson said:
“There is funding for these changes. In the period to 2021, there’s £54 million available for making the locality changes. But we have to start the changes to access that money.”
