THE WEST Midlands Clinical Senate begins its review of the Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire’s proposed clinical model this week.
Under the model being proposed by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHT), 95 per cent of patients will see no change to the way they currently access services in the county and all three of the county’s acute hospitals – the Worcestershire Royal, the Alexandra in Redditch, Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre – will remain open.
Worcestershire will also retain its two accident and emergency departments and the Minor Injuries Unit at Kidderminster.
The model has been drawn up by clinicians from across Worcestershire including GPs, hospital doctors and nurses and it has been tested with national experts. The trust says it offers clinically safe and sustainable services for the whole of Worcestershire.
The main proposed changes to services in the proposed clinical model of care are:
1) Separation of emergency and planned care to improve outcomes and patient experience
2) Creation of centres of excellence for planned surgery
3) Urgent care centre for adults and children at the Alexandra Hospital
4) The trust also says that under its proposals A&E will remain at the Alexandra Hospital (adult only) with robust arrangements for managing a seriously sick child if they arrive unexpectedly or their condition deteriorates and they need an inpatient stay in hospital
5) Centralisation of inpatient care for children at Worcester with the majority of children’s care remaining local
6) Centralisation of consultant-led births at Worcester with ante-natal and post-natal care remaining local
7) Centralisation of emergency surgery
The West Midlands Clinical Senate will be meeting key clinicians and visiting the Alexandra and Worcestershire Royal hospitals over the next few weeks as part of the review.
The model will then be forwarded to NHS England for assurance before being put to public consultation.
Jo Newton, the independent chair of the Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire Programme Board, said: “The NHS in Worcestershire is committed to this model and believes it is the right way forward for the county.”
