Future management of community services across the Wakefield district

12/04/2011

NHS community services currently managed by NHS Wakefield District are transferring to new organisations during April and May 2011. For patients its business as usual, so services will continue to be delivered from the same locations and by the same teams providing the same high standard of care. But for some 1,300 community services staff, they will be transferring to their new organisations.

The move is part of the Transforming Community Services project, a national initiative taking place within primary care trusts (PCTs) across the country. It's aimed at separating PCT provider services from their commissioning function, that's the part that plans, pays for and monitors health services. Over time, patients will benefit from hospital and community services working more closely together to ensure they receive their care in the most appropriate place for them - when and where they need it.

The Department of Health asked local NHS organisations to agree on the form of new provider organisations by the end of September 2010, with the move taking place from April 2011 onwards.

In the Wakefield district the move involves more than 1,300 community services staff working in a variety of roles including community nursing, health visiting, speech and language therapy, child and adolescent mental health and substance misuse. The new organisations managing those services are:

• The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
• South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Wakefield Council
• Spectrum Community Health CIC

NHS Wakefield District's Deputy Chief Executive, Ann Ballarini said: "Transforming Community Services is about increasing the range and quality of services delivered in the community and also changing who provides and manages these services. The first phase is to transfer the current services to a new provider so our patients won't see any physical difference; they'll still get the same high quality care and treatment they have always received. Over time services will be working more closely together so that they can provide more joined up care for patients.

"There's been a lot of working going on in the background and we've engaged extensively with staff, partners and colleagues in recent months as part of this process. I'd like to thank all those involved who have worked very hard to ensure as smooth a transition as possible."

Welcoming staff to South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Chief Executive Steven Michael said: "We are delighted to be combining our expertise and experience with that of the community staff who have just joined our Trust, for the benefit of local people in Wakefield."

The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Chief Executive, Julia Squire said: "We have welcomed a team of colleagues who bring a wealth of expertise, experience and skills to our Trust and together we'll develop a new integrated care organisation with integrated pathways across acute and community care.

"This means that we will be able to further develop alternatives in the community to provide services closer to home for our patients and better manage transfers of care to help reduce reliance on hospital services.

"We are building on work already being done in the health and social care community to ensure that patients have the best possible experience and are cared for in the most appropriate setting for them, based on their clinical need."

Commenting on the transfer of staff to Wakefield Council in May, Service Director for Adult Social Care, Sam Pratheepan said: "These are key services and their transfer to the Council's control will have a positive impact on their delivery to disabled children and adults in the district as a result of better integration of health and community care.

"By enhancing our partnerships with local NHS organisations we are continuing to promote high quality standards of care whilst also providing value for money."

The list below details which community service will be managed by which organisation:

The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Children's services

• Paediatric Occupational Therapy
• Children's Community Nursing
• Children's Palliative Care
• Community Paediatricians
• Health Visiting and School Nursing
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Nurse for Youth Offending Team
• Connect 3 (tackling childhood obesity)
• Community Dental services

Adult services

• Diabetes Education
• Dermatology
• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Podiatry
• Single Point of Contact
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Community Nursing
• GP in A&E
• Community Dental services

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

• Smoking Cessation
• Community Food and Health team
• Health Trainers
• NHS LifeChecks
• Public Health Education
• Safe at Home team (domestic violence/abuse)
• Health and Wellbeing workers
• Expert Patient Programme
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Wakefield Council

• Children's Short Breaks
• Integrated Community Equipment and Wheelchair services

Spectrum Community Health CIC

• Substance and Alcohol Misuse services
• Health and wellbeing services into secure environments at HMP and Young Offenders Institute (YOI) New Hall, HMP Wakefield and low secure services and medium secure forensic services at Fieldhead Hospital
• Contraception and Sexual Health (CaSH) services
• Chlamydia Screening team