Health & Welfare - Looking back
The NHS has had a turbulent year. At a National level, there have been major difficulties dealing with the backlog of planned investigations and treatments delayed by the pandemic. These problems have been exacerbated by the extra time needed to ensure that diagnostic units and operating theatres are ‘COVID safe’,effectively reducing overall capacity. This has been reflected in the longer waiting times at our local hospitals, (typical of the whole NHS), both for outpatient appointments and elective care.
West Hertfordshire University NHS Trust
The proposed new build is in Cohort 3 of the National New Hospital Programme- still waiting for financial approval of the outline business case. The outline plans include a possible relocation of the Mount Vernon cancer centre to the West Herts site.
In September 2022, the Trust announced new £12 million funding for enhanced diagnostic services at St Albans City Hospital, including new MRI and CT scanners, due to open in 2024.
The new urgent care hub opened at St Albans City Hospital in October 2022.
Luton and Dunstable Hospital
The upgrading of the Emergency Department and main ward blocks continues.
Looking forward
Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System
The new Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System went live in July 2022, and has recently published it’s strategy for the next three years.
The mission statement for the ICS is ‘responsible for commissioning the right services for the communities we serve’. The ICS has a budget of £2.8billion.
An important part of the Integrated Care System is:
THE SOUTH AND WEST HERTFORDSHIRE HEALTH CARE PARTNERSHIP
The South and West Hertfordshire HCP covers the following areas.
Dacorum
Hertsmere
St Albans and Harpenden
Three Rivers
Watford
To support priorities in our area, the HCP has been delivering change in several areas.
One of these areas is the virtual hospital, where patients who would ordinarily require hospital care, are monitored with digital support at home. The virtual hospital was started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, by West Herts .
This initiative has been implemented across England. The hospital has since evolved into a highly successful integrated service, run by the HCP. The care it provides now extends to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure. Over 7,000 people have been treated overall, so far, with good feedback from patients
Local Health
Primary Care Networks, (PCNs),are groups of healthcare professionals who work together to provide coordinated and comprehensive care to patients in a community.
Harpenden Health PCN is the collaboration of Davenport House Surgery, The Village Surgery and Elms Medical Practice. The PCN staff includes GPs, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, who collaborate to offer services such as chronic disease management, mental health support, and preventative care.
The goal of PCNs is to improve access to healthcare and enhance the quality of care for patients by offering more coordinated, patient-centred and more personalised services.
The Network is building on the excellent collaboration with local organisations which developed during the pandemic. One example is the partnership with the Harpenden Trust and MIND providing a local well being hub.
The Harpenden Health Network will be the focus of the autumn meeting of the Society on October 19th 2023.
The Harpenden Memorial Hospital
What Services are available?
Connect, an independent company, continue to deliver MSK, (musculoskeletal) services. There are on site Pulmonary and Cardiac rehabilitation face to face programmes, running for patients in the St Albans and Harpenden locality.
Podiatry clinics are still running and the neuro rehabilitation service is continuing . Diabetic eye screening is available.There are lymphoedema, speech and language therapy and sleep (respiratory) clinics ,and the long standing phlebotomy service.
The clinical and office areas have had a substantial upgrade.
Ian Barrison
