FUTURE OF HOSPITAL SERVICES IN NORTH DEVON:
DURROW REPORT ACCEPTED
On Tuesday 19 September, the final report from Durrow was presented to the Acute Services Review Steering Group1. The group agreed that Durrow had fulfilled its remit and accepted the report.
Durrow was commissioned by the NHS to outline the challenges North Devon faces in providing a clinically and financially sustainable future for NHS services.
The report is concerned with two areas: modernising clinical models of care and financial sustainability. This separates the two issues of the types of services offered to patients from the physical building used to provide these services. Both areas contain their own challenges and are extremely complex.
There are two parts to the report: Click here to download the overall report and recommendations. Click here to download the worked example which shows an architectural view of what the building will look like. Alternatively, paper copies of the reports can be requested in writing to Lindsay Stanbury, North Devon District Hospital, Raleigh Park, Barnstaple, EX32 8PJ or by calling 01271 322 577 and asking for Lindsay Stanbury.
The Group agreed that the North Devon health community needed time to work though the report and examine the challenges made by Durrow. By early 2007, the Northern Devon Healthcare Trust (NDHT) will be in a position to start discussing the report formally with senior clinicians, stakeholders, staff and public to work on drafting a North Devon strategy for the future of health services. Until this point, the report will be made publicly available and feedback lines kept open to informally start the engagement process.
Brian Aird, Interim Chief Executive of NDHT said, “The report from Durrow is not a consultation document and so we cannot start asking people formally what they think at this point in time. We know people are interested and actively want to be involved in the process of deciding the future of hospital services, but we also need for the new Devon Primary Care Trust and NHS South West Strategic Health Authority to be properly in place before we can start these discussions.”
Jac Kelly, Turnaround Director of NDHT said, “This report presents us all with a real opportunity to create an excellent health service in North Devon. We can use the current turmoil over the financial position at NDHT as a starting point to plan health care that will give patients the best healthcare service in 10 years time. It also means we have been given all the facts we need to look forward and plan for the future modernisation and reforms in healthcare to we ensure we don’t find ourselves offering unaffordable health services again.
Background Information:
1 The Acute Services Review Steering Group was set up to monitor the contract with Durrow and ensure they provided an acceptable finished report. The Group consists of members from the GP and consultant community, Devon Partnership Trust, Devon County Council, Ambulance Service, Staff-side, North Devon PCT, Northern Devon Healthcare Trust (NDHT) and is chaired by the Chair of North Devon District Council, Steve Pitcher. The decision to accept the report means that this Group is no longer needed in its current form. However, continuing involvement from all the members will be essential in deciding the future of health services in North Devon.