News | Health


downsmail.co.uk Changes facing our health care


MANY significant health and social care services in Maidstone and across ofKent are facingmajor changes. Most are linked to the Government’s transformation


plan which is now being progressed across Kent and Medway, supportedmainly byKent andMedway’s eight GP-led, budget-holdingClinicalCommissioningGroups, care organisations, Kent County Council and local au- thorities. Key aims are to improve effectiveness of health and care services for the population and staff, and to make them


KENT and Medway area has a shortage of NHS and social care staff. Nationally, one in 12NHS posts is


more financially efficient (KentNHS organisations over- spent bymore than £100mlast year). One of the main drivers is to reduce the immense and


expensive pressures on hospitals and to treat and care for patients in or closer to their own homes. Details of the transformation changes are beginning to


emerge locally in reports fromtheNHSWestKentClini- cal CommissioningGroup. DownsMail has been looking at some key proposals…


Staffing crisis GP surgeries shake-up


vacant and social care vacancy turnover is 26%. Kent andMedway area is worse, with 2,500 vacancies in secondary (mostly hospital) care, 45% of which are in nursing. It also has the greatest percentage of GPs nearing retirement (29%). Theworkforce strategy includes:


 Recruiting 130 international GPs, the first arriving this autumn. TwoKentuniversities establishing amedical school in Canterbury.  Developing a KCC information and support hub for social care workers. A“Kent – Take aDifferent View” recruitment campaign highlighting advantages of living andworking in Kent andMedway.


Care hub plan


WEST Kent could benefit fromnew local care and wellbeing hubs, pro- viding services outside hospitals. Theywould help frail patients es-


pecially, and will be designed to support multi-disciplinary staff teams working together. Staff, pa- tients, the public and stakeholders attended public events in June and July to give views on potential serv- ices and the locations.


Forumset up


AN elected members’ forum is being established in West Kent so that borough, district and KCC councillors can contributewithNHS and care staff to problemsolving. Aims include integrating services,


tackling causes of ill health and maximising the wellbeing of resi- dents.


List is closed


THEAlbionpractice,Maidstone, crit- icised by the Care Quality Commis- sion, has been authorised by NHS WestKentCCGtoclose its list tonew patients for ayear.Surroundingprac- tices are being supportive.


30 Maidstone East August 2018


MAIDSTONE is likely to see new or improved GP surgeries asWest Kent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) reviews its estates plan tomeet the needs of a rapidly rising population. The CCG is working with Maid-


as population increases County-wide


stoneCouncil to refreshmapping of housingdevelopments over the next five years and thiswill informmore discussionswith practices. TheCCGestimates thepopulation


in its area will rise from 476,497 in 2015 to 562,040 up to 2035, an 18% increase. The biggest growth is ex- pected in Maidstone (863 extra a year). The West Kent area is served by


seven clusters of GP practices serv- ing Maidstone Central, Maidstone Wide, Malling, Weald, Tonbridge, TunbridgeWells and Sevenoaks. The CCG is discussing require-


ments with borough and district councils and ensuring section 106 house developer contributions are available where possible for infra- structure improvement. The number ofproposals fromGP


practices wishing to improve or re- place premises is expectedto exceed financial support available. The CCG has produced an


overviewof each cluster: MAIDSTONE CENTRAL  The College practice is finalising plans for expanding its premises, supported by S106 contributions.  BlackthornMedical Centre plans to reconfigure and upgrade prem- ises for extra capacity. This is sup- ported by S106 contributions.  BowerMountMedical Practice is using S106 funding to improve ac- cess to the building.  Aylesford Medical Practice is re- configuring its premises to provide additional capacity, supported by S106 funding.


MAIDSTONEWIDE  Greensands Health Centre in Stockett Lane and OrchardMedical Centre, Coxheath, submitted a premises development plan using S106 funding. Stage 1 application has been approvedwith no financial consequence to the CCG at this stage.The practice can nowprogress an application for Stage 2 approval for submissionwithin 12months.  Len Valley Practice has discussed available S106 funding andwill con- sider using it to expand capacity. Headcorn Surgery has submitted plans to use S106 funds to improve security for patients and staff. MALLING WestMallingGroupPractice is as- sessing requirements tomeet popu- lation growth. Development at KingsHill over the next five years is expected to lead to about 1,500 new patient registrations,


increasing


pressure on the KingsHill practice.  Phoenix Medical Practice in Burham, has submitted a develop- ment plan for a site inPetersVillage. WEALD  Marden Medical Centre is dis- cussing the use of S106 funding.


commissioner TALKSareunderway to setupa joint executive leadership and management team for the four GP-led budget-holding Clinical Commissioning Groups (West Kent,Medway,Dartford,Grave- shamand Swanley, and Swale) serving the western part of the county. This is part of the transforma-


tion that could lead to a single strategic commissioner for the whole ofKent andMedway and further integrationofhealthand social care commissioning. The four groups will retain


their sovereignty and accounta- bility, possibly enhanced. Pri- mary care commissioning will remaintheresponsibilityofeach group. The groups fear that failure to


make this change couldresult in an unstainable local healthcare system, which is unable to en- sure high-quality accessible servicesordeliver improvedout- comes and reduced inequalities.


Best practice KENT could benefit from a Eu- ropean research programme in- volving UK (represented by KCC, Kent Community Health Foundation Trust and Medway CommunityHealthcare), France, BelgiumandtheNetherlands on international best practice. The aim is to find solutions to chal- lenges associatedwith an ageing population and budget and workforce challenges.


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