Update for community partners and staff on service developments in Hertfordshire

Update for community partners and staff
on service developments in Hertfordshire
Issue 4: September 2009
Delivering Quality Healthcare for Hertfordshire –
what was agreed and what’s been happening
This newsletter provides an update
on the extensive programme of
health service developments in the
county.
The main elements of the changes
agreed following public consultation
in 2007 were:
between Herts Urgent Care and
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS
Trust). The centre has treated over
21,200 people in its first ten months.
The PCTs have identified and
prepared a business case for two
potential sites for a new Local
• Acute hospital services would General Hospital (LGH) in Hemel
Hempstead. A final decision on the
be consolidated at two sites
chosen site will be made by the
–Watford General and Lister
NHS West Hertfordshire Board
Hospitals
following evaluation of the business
cases. Construction of the new
• New Local General Hospitals
Hemel LGH is expected to start in
(LGHs) would be developed in
Hemel Hempstead and Welwyn 2011. In the meantime, West
Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Garden City
is investing nearly £7million at
• A network of 8 Urgent Care
Hemel Hempstead Hospital in
Centres would be opened across bringing together outpatient
the county
services, diagnostic, urgent care and
Progress to date includes:
The acute hospital services have
been transferred from Hemel
Hempstead to Watford with the
creation of a new 120-bed Acute
Admissions Unit.
An urgent care centre which is open
24 hours, 7 days a week has been
opened at Hemel Hempstead. The
centre is run by Dacorum Urgent
Care Partnership (a collaboration
intermediate care for patients in
the newest part of the hospital.
Building work is well advanced on
a new planned surgery centre at
the Lister Hospital, Stevenage and
the go ahead has been given for a
new maternity unit, including a colocated birth centre, at the hospital.
A site masterplan for a new health
campus and Local General Hospital
on the QEII site in Welwyn
Garden City is underway.
The development is being planned
in partnership with East and North
Hertfordshire NHS Trust, the
Isabel Hospice and the Mental
Health Foundation Trust.
Read on for more details about
these and other developments.
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS
Trust review of acute service
centralisation
A review has been undertaken by the West
Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust on the
move of acute hospital services from Hemel
Hempstead to Watford. Findings of the review
which assessed the first 100 days of operation
are very encouraging.
200 patients were contacted following their
discharge from the new 120-bed Acute
Admissions Unit. Patients said they were
pleased with the service they received
highlighting the fact they are quickly seen and
assessed by a consultant who can call upon a
wide range of specialist advice to ensure
appropriate care.
The report noted that the move of all acute
services went smoothly with only a small
number of patients needing to be transferred
to the new unit at Watford from Hemel
Hempstead Hospital.
The 100 day review can be read online at:
http://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/about/bo
ard_meetings/2009/jul/papers/aau/100_day_re
view_mj.pdf
The Urgent
Care Centre at
Hemel Hospital
Watford General’s new AAU
Independent review
NHS West Hertfordshire has commissioned the Cardea
Group to undertake an independent review of recent
changes to health services in west Herts.
The review will look at the new Urgent Care Centre at
Hemel Hempstead and the centralisation of acute services
at Watford. There will be expert clinical input and Cardea
will also talk to local groups and other members of the
public.
We expect that outcomes will be provided in a report
that will be presented to the NHS West Hertfordshire
board at its meeting in November.
Hemel Urgent Care Centre reaches
many thousands
The new walk-in urgent care centre service is treating
patients who have an injury or condition which is severe
but not immediately critical or life threatening. The service
includes diagnostics and provides treatment for wound
stitching, sprains and minor fractures. It has been
operating for nearly year, initially alongside the A&E
service but standalone since March. More than 21,200
patients have been seen from October to July this year.
The average waiting time to be seen is under 30 minutes.
Mount Vernon Cancer Centre review
The review of cancer centre service provision, chaired by NHS Hertfordshire (the Primary Care Trusts), has
confirmed that the Cancer Centre should remain at Mount Vernon for the long term. A new partner institution
for academic research has been identified. The review is now testing out the feasibility of developing a satellite
service in north Herts / south Beds area.
The review, which includes a cancer users group, will report on the feasibility study later in the year.
New Urgent Care Centres for Cheshunt and Hertford
A collaboration between the East and North
Hertfordshire NHS Trust and Assura Lea Valley LLP,
has been successful in its bid to run two new urgent
care centres (UCCs).
The development of these urgent care centres is the
second part of the plan to introduce a network of
urgent care centres across the county. Initially the
Cheshunt and Hertford centres are being piloted and
their effectiveness will be evaluated after 12 months.
The new centres at Hertford County and Cheshunt
Community hospitals are scheduled to open in
October 2009. They will provide care for patients with
injuries caused by accidents and those who have minor
medical emergencies that are not immediately critical
or life threatening. Open from 8am to 8pm, seven days
a week, the urgent care centres can treat many of the
patients who currently attend existing accident and
emergency departments.
The next two UCCs are planned for St Albans City
Hospital in St Albans and Herts & Essex Hospital in
Bishop’s Stortford, both opening in 2010.
The final Urgent Care Centres will be at Watford
General Hospital, at Lister Hospital, in Stevenage and
at the QE11 Hospital, Welwyn Garden City.
Lister Hospital – new facilities
Over £100m is being invested in improving services at the
Lister Hospital in Stevenage. This will provide modern
surroundings for patients and staff, shorten waiting times
and improve car parking. The planned four phases of
development are:
Phase 1 – Surgicentre, a brand new, state-of-the-art
building, which is being developed with our partner
Clinicenta for completion in 2011
How the Lister looks now and the plans for 2013
Phase 2 - Maternity services, a new £16.4 million facility
will be completed before the end of 2011
Phase 3 – Multi-storey car park, this will have around
670 spaces and be linked directly to the hospital. There will
be a landscaped plaza at the front and have patient
transport ambulance parking and blue badge parking on the
ground floor.
Phase 4 – A&E and emergency services, emergency
and inpatient services will be brought together in
specialised, environments. The changes will take place at
the same time that the new urgent care centres are
developed at the Lister and QEII in Welwyn.
This bulletin has been produced on behalf of the Delivering quality health care for Hertfordshire Programme Implementation
Board, comprised of Chairs, Chief Executives and senior doctors from NHS East and North Hertfordshire, NHS West Hertfordshire,
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust and West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and representatives of the East of England
Ambulance Service. It will be issued bimonthly. For further information please contact Hertfordshire Primary Care Trusts on 01707
367222, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust on 01438 781522 or West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust on 01442 287684.
New medical centres proving popular
June 2009 saw two new medical centres - West Herts Medical
Centre in Hemel Hempstead and Spring House Medical Centre
in Welwyn Garden City - open their doors enabling patients to
see a GP or nurse from 8am to 8pm, every day of the year.
Patients can choose to register at the centres or be seen as an
unregistered patient. Both registered and unregistered patients
can walk-in or pre-book an appointment.
Eventually, the centres will be part of the Local General Hospital
developments.
Communications
– we’re letting people know
We are continuing to brief journalists about the ongoing
developments so that Hertfordshire residents know what is
happening.
A new publication ‘Your Guide to Local Health Services’ is being
produced and will be delivered to every household in the county.
A series of information sharing road-shows begins this September as
the Hertfordshire PCTs engage with the public across the county.
Building on a number of outdoor events which took place in early
summer, further roadshows are planned during the autumn.
Travellink News
New information leaflets are also now available and are being
distributed to update people about the health services available in
their areas. These include details of the new urgent care centres for
Cheshunt and Hertford, the new medical centres and access to outof-hours GP and Dental services.
Run by Herts County Council and the Hertfordshire Health West Hertfordshire: 01438 737505
Trusts, Travellink provides transport information and makes Dacorum, Hertsmere, St Albans,
Three Rivers & Watford)
travel bookings for patients needing the county’s health
services. Travellink is based in Stevenage and takes calls from
8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Travellink can also provides advice to people on low
incomes on how to reclaim costs using the Healthcare
Travel Costs Scheme. Travellink is the single point of
contact for all non emergency patient transport
arrangements
East and North Hertfordshire: 01438 737252
(Broxbourne, East Herts, North Herts, Stevenage&
Welwyn Hatfield)