Mental Health Services have to be specifically included in the Sustainability and Transformation Plan for Buckinghamshire. These services are already provided across Buckinghamshire by a range of providers, the main Trust covering both Bucks and Oxfordshire already.
The priority for the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) is:
"Mental Health development to improve the overall value of care provided."
They describe this as :
"Develop a network of providers of specialist mental health care across a larger footprint of STPs coordinating inpatient and community based services."
What do I think this means?
Well this is a guess but I reckon this means they want to increase the number of organisations that provide specific services. They want to do this across a bigger area than they do at present. This might mean that patients have to travel further for their mental health care.
They realise that this means an increase in the number of organisations providing services and that they will be spread across the SE of England. This in turn means that this care needs to joined up and seamless. Good communications are essential as is an improvement in transport for patients across our poor road & transport network.
Do they have the resources to coordinate the fragmented nature of this care? Will they be able to influence the Councils responsible for roads and public transport to improve the roads and buses?
I am not sure!
Wednesday, 21 December 2016
Tuesday, 20 December 2016
A recap on Buckinghamshire's STP - my thoughts
Ten days ago I wrote a number of blogs before I went for the operation to remove the subcutaneous lump on my shoulder. I am just about over the GA and the couple of big bleeds post-op and somewhere close to normality. Well .... there is a short period each day when I can concentrate for more then 5 mins. Will that do for normal?
Anyway I am now a cancer survivor.
Hopefully, beds providing, I will heading to another hospital for a skin graft over the Christmas festivities. Such fun!
Anyway....the blogs were about the Sustainability & Transformation Plan for Buckinghamshire (STP). I have tried to put in my terms an explanation of a summary document that our CCGs circulated at their recent set of public engagement events. They have tried to explain why they needed to develop the plan in association with local hospitals and the county council. They were very honest and said that it is because the increasing activity they will have to fund over the next five years will not be covered by the budget given to them by the Government.
Can't be clearer than that.
But sadly people still don't get it. Some people still believe the Government will throw money at the hospitals again. It didn't work in the past and it won't work this time.
Tonight and tomorrow I will try to finish what I started last week. I have their final three priorities to finish.
Anyway I am now a cancer survivor.
Hopefully, beds providing, I will heading to another hospital for a skin graft over the Christmas festivities. Such fun!
Anyway....the blogs were about the Sustainability & Transformation Plan for Buckinghamshire (STP). I have tried to put in my terms an explanation of a summary document that our CCGs circulated at their recent set of public engagement events. They have tried to explain why they needed to develop the plan in association with local hospitals and the county council. They were very honest and said that it is because the increasing activity they will have to fund over the next five years will not be covered by the budget given to them by the Government.
Can't be clearer than that.
But sadly people still don't get it. Some people still believe the Government will throw money at the hospitals again. It didn't work in the past and it won't work this time.
Tonight and tomorrow I will try to finish what I started last week. I have their final three priorities to finish.
Monday, 12 December 2016
Specialist services Maximising value - the fourth priority
This one is a horror story!
"Maximising value and patient outcomes from specialised commissioning"
In CCG speak:
"Identify opportunities for modifying pathways, standardising thresholds and increasing prevention to reduce spend and increase value"
Well that is a mouthful! Lots of jargon and management speak in that statement.
What do I think? I think it is all about reducing the cost of providing specialist care. This is the sort of care that is not done in our local hospitals. The sort of specialist treatment I am getting as I write this. I have to declare an interest here!
There is always opportunities to improve the path us patients take through the system. We need to reduce the number of times we move between different parts of the system. This is a good thing. But it is not new and has been going on for years. But this must be done in partnership with the patients.
The interesting phrase is 'standardising thresholds'. What do they mean? I think it means they want to make it more difficult for GPs to refer us to the specialist centres. At the moment many treatments are provided after the patient has ticked the boxes. The condition has to be severe enough for the CCG to fund it. Patients have to apply to the CCG for an 'individual funding review' when the CCG will look at each case before making a decision. This could be extended.
I am not sure what they mean by increasing prevention and I assume this is linked to priority 1.
As I said earlier it seems that the emphasis for this priority is on reducing cost.
"Maximising value and patient outcomes from specialised commissioning"
In CCG speak:
"Identify opportunities for modifying pathways, standardising thresholds and increasing prevention to reduce spend and increase value"
Well that is a mouthful! Lots of jargon and management speak in that statement.
What do I think? I think it is all about reducing the cost of providing specialist care. This is the sort of care that is not done in our local hospitals. The sort of specialist treatment I am getting as I write this. I have to declare an interest here!
There is always opportunities to improve the path us patients take through the system. We need to reduce the number of times we move between different parts of the system. This is a good thing. But it is not new and has been going on for years. But this must be done in partnership with the patients.
The interesting phrase is 'standardising thresholds'. What do they mean? I think it means they want to make it more difficult for GPs to refer us to the specialist centres. At the moment many treatments are provided after the patient has ticked the boxes. The condition has to be severe enough for the CCG to fund it. Patients have to apply to the CCG for an 'individual funding review' when the CCG will look at each case before making a decision. This could be extended.
I am not sure what they mean by increasing prevention and I assume this is linked to priority 1.
As I said earlier it seems that the emphasis for this priority is on reducing cost.
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