NHS appeal for locals to help new regional organisation

Lancashire residents are being asked to work with a new regional NHS organisation, set up by the government to oversee health and social care services including patient treatment, budgets and decisions about clinics and hospitals

The NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) is creating a Citizens Health Reference Group to hear the public’s views on its plans and work. Regional integrated care boards have been set up across the country. Their remits include doctors, dentists, hospitals, health centres, social care, finance, staffing and property.

In Lancashire, examples of the new ICB’s work have included submitting plans for health clinic extensions in West Lancashire in Ormskirk, Skelmersdale and Aughton, partly-supported by funding from council planning agreements or local infrastructure levies.

In Pendle, it has looked into concerns last year about health clinics, pharmacy provision and ambulance responses, especially in Barnoldswick. Pendle Council has held talks with it.

READ MORE

• Drivers could be fined £2,500 for moving out of the way of an ambulance

• DEPHER founder apologises over faked social media posts and 'vows to return donations'

In Chorley, it also involved with questions around the future of Withnell Health Centre, where a patients’ campaign wants to keep local doctor Ann Robinson there amid potential contract changes. On a bigger regional scale, it is looking at new hospitals. Lancaster and Preston have been mooted as possible locations for a future hospital at some council meetings in recent months.

Integrated care board have replaced the previous system of clinical commissioning groups. Those typically had local groups of NHS doctors’ surgeries or health clinics providing initial primary care to patients and ‘commissioning’ secondary care – advanced treatment – from hospitals.

The NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board says residents can work with commissioners to support the future development of services and policies. Residents will be asked to attend a full group meeting once every three months, while also having the chance to be more involved in projects of particular interest.

Chief executive Kevin Lavery. said: “We are keen to have the public voice at the heart of everything we do. Anyone with an interest in health and care services in Lancashire and South Cumbria is welcome and encouraged to sign up to our Citizens Health Reference Group.

“What’s great about this group is it isn’t just a monthly meeting or anything like that. These are public advisers who we can align to priorities they are interested in and can support over the long term, making a genuine contribution to the improvement and transformation of local services.”

The areas supported by the Citizens Health Reference Group are varied. These include the transformation of urgent and emergency care services to access to dental services, and supporting consultation around the government’s New Hospitals Programme.

New members will be asked to commit to an induction process, quarterly group meetings and additional work on their chosen topics.

The Lancashire ICB is due to meet this week at its offices in the Christ Church Precinct near Lancashire County Hall, Preston. Topics up for public discussion include a new hospital programme. a five-year workforce strategy, a complaints procedure policy, finance reports, digital technology and using funds from council planning system-linked Section 106 agreements or community infrastructure levies for health-related buildings or extensions.

Some items are set to be discussed in private. This is allowed for public bodies by law, if agreed by the organisation’s members at the meeting.

These items include improving patients’ clinical outcomes and experiences; equalising clinical outcomes across the area; making work in the Lancashire and South Cumbria area an attractive option for existing and potential staff; financial targets and improved productivity, and meeting national and locally-determined performance standards and targets.

After this week’s ICB meeting, the next is scheduled for July 17.

To register an interest for the new public group, visit www.lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/chrg. For other information about the different ways to get involved in the ICB, visit the website’s Have Your Say section.