A revised proposal to change the way some hospital services are provided in northern Lincolnshire is to be considered by NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) next week (Wednesday 10 July).
Last year the local NHS set out how it would go about changing a small number of more complex medical, urgent and emergency care services in Scunthorpe and Grimsby to “meet the needs of patients across the region now and in the future, as well as tackling a range of challenges faced by the NHS in our region”.
Thousands of people took part in a 14-week public consultation, which received a “good practice” endorsement from The Consultation Institute.
Following the consultation, the local NHS has now made some changes to the proposal that was initially put forward, which the ICB Board is now being asked to consider.
If approved, it would still see the care of trauma patients consolidated at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, together with some medical specialities for people with heart, lung or stomach conditions who require a longer stay in hospital (more than three days).
However, a proposed change that would have seen overnight paediatric care consolidated in Grimsby will not go ahead at this time, with inpatient beds retained at both Diana Princess of Wales Hospital and Scunthorpe General Hospital.
Additionally, the updated proposal means that not all overnight emergency surgery will be moved to Grimsby, with consolidation taking place at different hospitals across northern Lincolnshire and Hull depending on the specialty.
If the ICB Board agrees to the revised proposal being put forward, it is anticipated around seven patients per day would be transferred from Scunthorpe to Grimsby for their care. The majority of people living in northern Lincolnshire would experience no change to the way they currently access hospital care and treatment.
The local NHS says the proposed changes will help deliver “seven-day consultant-led care” across specialist services, improve the quality of care patients receive and reduce length of hospital stays, whilst making it easier to recruit and retain expert clinical staff.
Anja Hazebroek, the ICB’s Senior Responsible Officer for involvement and consultation, said: “The proposal we consulted on was designed to ensure the sustainable delivery of a small number of hospital services that would meet the needs of patients across the region now and in the future, as well as tackling a range of challenges faced by the NHS in our region.
“We were eager to seek the views of those most likely to be impacted by change and ensure everyone who wanted to take part and share their views was given sufficient opportunities, sufficient information and sufficient time to do so.
“Over the 14 and a half weeks of the consultation, we ran a series of engagement events, targeted focus groups, social media advertising and targeted leaflet drops, supported by a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy. Almost 4,000 people responded to the consultation questionnaire and thousands more were engaged through the programme of events. Written submissions were also received from a range of stakeholders.
“This was never just a box-ticking exercise. The views and evidence provided during this public consultation have been invaluable and without question have shaped the decision-making business case and informed the recommendations which the ICB Board is now being asked to consider.” Board papers, together with details on how to observe the live stream of the meeting are available on the ICB’s website.