‘Future of Healthcare in Gloucestershire’ – end of Consultation Period

05/09/2006

Gloucestershire’s Primary Care Trusts have today welcomed more details of the new Department of Health contracts being developed with Independent Sector providers in the county.

These new contracts will increase choice for patients receiving NHS care in the county with some new services being in place in April 2007 for diagnostics and in August 2008 for outpatient services and surgical procedures.

The Department of Health has confirmed that UKSH has been selected as the preferred bidder to provide outpatient services and surgical procedures and that Atos Origin has been selected as the preferred bidder for a number of diagnostic tests.

Locally, this will mean that, subject to successful contractual discussions over the next few months, Atos Origin will plan to provide some diagnostic tests (e.g. MRI scans) at the Winfield Hospital site in Gloucester.

Patients in Gloucestershire will also have access to diagnostics in Bristol, Bath or Swindon as these sites form part of the national IS contract for diagnostics.

Health chiefs say they are ‘pleased’ that so many people chose to ‘get involved’ and share their views on the ‘Future of Healthcare in Gloucestershire’.

The public consultation ended at 5pm on Monday and the Consultation Team will now complete an outcome report for the County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and PCT Board members to consider.

The NHS has logged over 4,000 individual consultation responses to date, including letters, e-mails and questionnaire feedback forms (both hardcopy and via the consultation website). A number of petitions have also been received.

Chief Executive of Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust, Caroline Fowles who is leading the consultation said:

“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete a consultation questionnaire, attend one of the many public events held during the period of consultation, was a member of a discussion group or wrote to the Consultation Team to express their views.”

We believe that change is unavoidable if the NHS locally is to protect the quality and range of services provided in to the future. Caroline Fowles continued:

“We will consider very carefully what people have told us before we reach decisions. Where a community has suggested an alternative scheme, we will work with local partners to determine whether this could provide the right solution for the future as well as being affordable.”