29 Nov 2019
From 1st December 2019, St Helens residents will benefit from a more local approach to health and care services delivered in the community with the St Helens Urgent Treatment Centre, Community IV Therapy Services and the Looked After Children service being delivered by a new provider.
From 1st December 2019, St Helens residents will benefit from a more local approach to health and care services delivered in the community including the St Helens Urgent Treatment Centre, Community IV Therapy Services and Looked After Children service.
For a number of years, these community services in St Helens have been delivered by Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and local residents have received great care. To make services better and more efficient for patients, all local NHS organisations, St Helens Council and other voluntary sector partners including Torus Housing, agreed to work together in partnership as St Helens Cares. The goal of this partnership was and still is to bring services together and make it easier for residents to get the best quality care they need in the most appropriate place.
Bringing the running of these community services back to a local provider is a key objective of the St Helens Cares partnership, and this starts on 1st December 2019 with the transfer of the responsibility for running the services outlined above to St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the lead provider in the St Helens Cares partnership, (Urgent Treatment Centre and Community IV Therapy) and North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Looked After Children). The second phase of community services will transfer on 1st April 2020. Members of staff who currently work for Bridgewater have been part of a consultation process and have been fully engaged with throughout.
Working on a place-based approach means we can knit hospital and community services together, making it easier to support more people in the community and keep them out of hospital. It will also help to move some services out of hospital and in to the community, where it is appropriate but whilst still giving the great care that our health and social care staff have always delivered. The location of services remains the same as will members of staff so local residents should see no difference in the care and treatment delivered.
Professor Sarah O’Brien, Strategic Director, People’s Services and Clinical Accountable Officer, NHS St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group, said:
“This is a hugely exciting time for the community services within our borough and I look forward to seeing how the next phase of the St Helens Cares partnership benefits our local residents.”
Services transferring from Bridgewater to St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (unless otherwise noted are)
1st December 2020
St Helens Urgent Treatment Centre
Community IV Therapy
Looked After Children (North West Boroughs)
1st April 2020
Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy (North West Boroughs)
Community Paediatrics
Paediatric Continence
Community Children’s Nursing
GPs with special interest in Ear Nose and Throat
GPs with special interest in ENT sessions from Fairfield Hospital
GPs with special interest in Dermatology
GP Gynaecology service
Newton Hospital Outpatient service
Community Specialist Rehabilitation (The Walton Centre)
Homeless Health (North West Boroughs)