An exhibition and public drop-in event setting out details of a proposed change to the way a small number of more complex medical, urgent and emergency care and paediatric (children’s) services are delivered at hospitals in Northern Lincolnshire takes place in Grimsby on Monday (16 October).
The consultation event is being held at Grimsby Town Hall in Town Hall Square with people invited to drop in any time between noon and 8pm to learn more about the proposal and give their views.
There’s a further exhibition and drop in event on Friday 20 October at The Pods in Ashby Road, Scunthorpe – also from noon until 8pm.
The local NHS wants to provide a small number of more complex medical, urgent and emergency care and paediatric (children’s) services from Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, rather than across the two hospital sites in Grimsby and Scunthorpe to “improve services for those with the most urgent and complex needs, keeping them safe and of high quality in the long term”.
The proposal would see the following services brought together:-
- Trauma Unit – for people with injuries requiring specialist care (typically brought by ambulance) and who might need an operation or observation by a trauma team
- Overnight emergency surgery – for people who need an operation in the middle of the night or who need to stay in hospital overnight and be looked after by teams with surgical expertise
- Some medical specialities (inpatient) – for people who need a longer stay in hospital (more than 72 hours) and to be looked after by a specialist team for their heart, lung or stomach condition
- Paediatric overnight (inpatient) care – for children and young people who need to stay in hospital for more than 24 hours
Urgent and emergency care for the vast majority of patients would continue to be provided at both hospitals, including 24/7 Accident and Emergency Departments.
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is leading the 14-week consultation, is keen for everyone living or working in Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Goole and surrounding areas to have an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed change before the consultation closes on 5 January next year.
Dr Ekta Elston, the ICB’s Clinical Lead in North East Lincolnshire, said: “Despite the very best efforts of the local NHS over a prolonged period of time, we have difficulty attracting and keeping enough doctors, nurses and specialist staff with the right skills and expertise.
“This means some specialists (that cover particular health needs) are not available every day across both hospital sites in Scunthorpe and Grimsby and we are too reliant on temporary staff to fill the gaps, which is both costly and inefficient.
“We cannot continue with the status quo; we have to make changes, or some services would become unsafe and unsustainable.
“We believe consolidating these services onto a single site is the right thing to do and will help ensure we’re giving people with the most urgent and complex needs the best possible care, around the clock, seven days a week, leading to a better experience for patients and ultimately better outcomes.
“However, it’s important we hear what people think. I would encourage everyone in Northern Lincolnshire and Goole to attend one of the drop-in exhibition events if they can, or visit the consultation website at www.betterhospitalshumber.nhs.uk to find out more about the proposal and provide feedback.
“Even though we are only consulting on a single option, we are listening. It is entirely possible that during the consultation feedback might be received which will change the proposal or how it is implemented.”