An update on the Our Health Our Care programme during the coronavirus pandemic
Date posted: 14th April 2020We wanted to provide an update on the impact of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic on the Our Health Our Care (OHOC) change programme in central Lancashire.
NHS Chorley and South Ribble Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS Greater Preston Clinical Commissioning Group (CCGs) are still committed to an open and transparent consultation about the changes proposed by the programme at the appropriate stage. This commitment is shared by all partners and is not affected by the emergency changes required to services to protect lives during the Coronavirus pandemic. A date for services to return to their former function cannot be set while we are managing the Coronavirus pandemic, however a thorough plan to safely de-escalate the temporary changes is being prepared.
Background
Before the Coronavirus pandemic the OHOC programme team had been developing a draft pre-consultation business case document about the different options for changes to services in central Lancashire.
Once completed, the pre-consultation business case will provide a summary of:
- The case for change,
- The model of care, and
- The long list of options considered before explaining which options it is proposed to consult the public about and why.
The pre-consultation business case will also explain how we have considered the engagement outcomes which have taken place with staff and members of the public up to this point.
In January this year, we published the independent clinical reports which are being used to help develop the pre-consultation business case. You can read more about these independent clinical reports here:
You can read more about the full long list of the programme options which have been considered here:
The draft pre-consultation business case needs to be reviewed by NHS England who will assure that the information contained within it both is sufficient, and also that it meets a number of tests.
The document would then be finalised and published for consideration by the Our Health Our Care Joint Committee of the Clinical Commissioning Groups (“the Joint Committee”). The Joint Committee would need to approve the pre-consultation business case before a formal public consultation could be launched - which would be a minimum of twelve weeks and possibly longer. When the pre-consultation business case is ready for consideration by the Joint Committee it will be published in the public domain, on the programme website. The programme team will also share the information with Elected Members and the membership of the Health Scrutiny Committee from Lancashire County Council. Meetings of the Joint Committee are held in public.
Recent developments linked to the Coronavirus pandemic
Our plan was to work towards a public consultation being able to take place this Summer, based on the above steps taking place. However, we have recently been advised that NHS England will be unable to consider the draft pre-consultation business case at this time because the management of the Coronavirus pandemic must understandably take priority. The CCGs and programme team wholly support the decision taken by NHS England.
We wish to be absolutely clear that the decision to delay considering the draft pre-consultation business case does not mean that this step will now not take place.
We also wish to reassure members of the public who may be concerned about the temporary creation of an urgent care centre at Chorley and South Ribble District General Hospital that this development relates only to the emergency public health requirements arising from the pandemic at this time. The impact of these changes are being appropriately monitored and considered on an ongoing basis.
As indicated above, the CCGs are still committed to an open and transparent consultation about the changes proposed by the programme at the appropriate stage. This commitment is shared by all partners and is not affected by the emergency changes required to services to protect people’s health and ultimately lives during the Coronavirus pandemic. A date for services to return to their former function cannot be set while we are managing the Coronavirus pandemic - however a thorough plan to safely de-escalate the temporary changes is being prepared.
Our new plan will be to work towards a public consultation at the earliest possible and appropriate stage. We envisage that would be from Autumn 2020. We wish to work towards a public consultation where everyone is able to have their say, in more normal circumstances, about the best long-term changes to make to health and care services in central Lancashire.
In the meantime, a number of the people involved in supporting the programme team have been temporarily reprioritised towards supporting the Coronavirus pandemic response. Therefore, at this time, responses to questions about the programme and decision-making processes and timelines may be limited to the content of this update and currently published information. We thank you for your understanding about this.
Please also be assured that any changes or developments relating to the Our Health Our Care programme will be published on the website in good time and will also be shared via our usual social media channels.
If you would like to find out more about the programme or our work, then please visit: https://www.healthierlsc.co.uk/central-lancs/OHOC
You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter at the links below:
- www.facebook.com/NHSCSR
- www.facebook.com/GtrPrestonCCG/
- www.twitter.com/GtrPrestonCCG
- www.twitter.com/NHSCSR
We look forward to continuing to work with all of our partners and the public to deliver the best possible clinical outcomes for people in central Lancashire.
The Our Health Our Care Programme Team