IMPROVING PERFORMANCE OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE IN NORTH AND MID-HAMPSHIRE

1. In October last year, the County Council was advised of proposals by local health organisations in North and Mid-Hampshire, comprising the Health Authority, Primary Care Trusts and Groups, and National Health Service Trusts to modernise health services in North Hampshire as part of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) for the area aimed at achieving financial balance by 2004 (there is currently a deficit of £7.5 m) and delivering the National Health Service Plan. The PIP comprises a number of plans which seek to secure savings by doing things differently and through more efficient use of National Health Service land and buildings. The Health Authority, in leading the process, has produced a public information document entitled "Improving Performance in North and Mid-Hampshire: Setting the Context". Where changes are proposed to the way in which patient services are delivered, the public will be consulted and the first of these consultation documents, which relates to the re-designing of intermediate care and developing new partnerships for orthodontics, has been published.

2. The Cabinet requested the Policy and Resources Policy Review Committee to examine the proposals and has used the Committee's findings to inform its response on behalf of the County Council for both the overall approach and the current consultation document.

3. In summary, the Cabinet has recognised the difficult challenge of reducing recurrent expenditure whilst improving the performance of the National Health Service in the area but does not feel that the PIP is likely to achieve this latter objective. It is extremely concerned at the ability of the local NHS to absorb the required level of savings without service reduction. It is further concerned that the current consultation exercise on intermediate care and new partnerships for orthodontics only constitute savings proposals of £500,000 against the £7.5m overall requirement and whilst understanding that further proposals are being drawn up, would have preferred to have seen the Plan in entirety in order fully to assess the implications for Hampshire's residents.

4. Specific concerns have been expressed (inter alia) on the proposals for orthodontic services, notably in respect of the significant increased travelling distances for some Hampshire residents who would now have to go to Guildford for treatment, and in respect of intermediate care, attention was drawn to the need to include in the proposals the importance of the joint County Council and Health Service medium term action to address the critical problems in the nursing home market.

5. A copy of the formal response letter is available to Members on request to the Chief Executive, and the Government and Hampshire MEPs and MPs are being apprised of the County Council's serious concerns at the inadequacy of funding for health care in Hampshire, and as a result the magnitude of the task facing local NHS organisations.

T.K. THORNBER, CBE

Chairman

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