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NHS commissioners for Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire have,signed up to work in partnership with national NHS organisations to undertake a review of local health services with a view to improving health care for local people.

NHS Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group (MK CCG) and NHS Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (BCCG) have joined forces because, as well as being neighbours, they share similar challenges. These include issues around sustainable hospital services, growing demographic pressures and the need to ensure safe, high quality services are consistently delivered seven days a week.

Both CCGs know that facing up to these challenges means adapting and changing the way health services are provided. They are also clear that achieving a successful outcome for this review will be dependent on significant engagement with local communities, clinicians and healthcare providers.

The national agencies, Monitor, the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) and NHS England share the concerns raised by the clinical commissioning groups that the current pattern of health and care services may not be sustainable or sufficient to meet the needs of patients in future.

Jeannie Ablett, Chief Officer at MK CCG said:
“The current problems with Bedford and Milton Keynes hospital trusts mean we need to make a change in order to ensure first rate health services for the people of Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire. Our populations are changing and people want health services delivered closer to home. This study will focus on the needs of patients and families and how they might be best served by their hospitals.”

Dr Paul Hassan, local GP and Accountable Officer at BCCG said:
“Our aim is to secure a future for our local hospitals. We want to put all options on the table and will go into this review with no preconceptions. However, we are clear from the work we have already done around paediatric services that engaging local people and listening to their needs and ambitions for health care will be key to the success of the review.”

The national partners will, by early December, appoint a group of experts to work with the local commissioners to engage with local people and find out their health care wants and needs. The review will be an in-depth process working with commissioners, providers, health care staff and involving the local community in designing sustainable solutions that best meet the needs of patients.

The review will analyse current provision of health services in Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire and the problems that exist currently at Bedford and Milton Keynes hospital trusts. It will present options for how services might adapt and change in the future. Central to the review will be engagement with local patients, patient groups, local nurses and doctors, national clinical experts, local people living with long-term conditions, local politicians and many others.

The review will look at which health services local commissioners feel they need to provide to meet their population’s needs and will assess what the impact could be on patients of any proposed changes in the way health services are provided.

Finally, the review will result in a written report in the summer of 2014. The report will set out the commissioners’ preferred arrangement of health services for the area. It will take into account what people want and what is clinically safe and sustainable for the long-term needs of the population of Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.

Jonathan Guppy, Interim Senior Enforcement Director at Monitor said:
“Monitor, along with the national partners, is pleased to be able to support the local commissioners and health trusts in this important and innovative strategic study. It is the first of its kind and will bring together a wide range of expertise from across the health sector.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• For further information on the study please contact the Monitor Press Office on press.office@monitor.gov.uk, 020 3747 0800.
• For further information from NHS Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group contact the press office on tony.delaney@gemcsu.nhs.uk, 01908 278 709
• For further information from NHS Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group contact the press office on Lucie.Carrington@bedfordshireccg.nhs.uk,  07920 459662.
• Monitor is involved because Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is in breach of its licence and predicting financial losses of £17 million this year. Monitor will make regulatory decisions about Milton Keynes Trust, help protect the continuity of essential local services and undertake work to improve the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the health sector.
• The NHS TDA is supporting Bedford Hospital NHS Trust to address a range of clinical and financial issues to achieve sustainability.
• NHS England is responsible for the two local commissioning groups.

About Monitor

• Monitor is the sector regulator of NHS-funded health care services. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 its main duty is to protect and promote the interests of patients. Information about Monitor’s role can be found here.
• Follow Monitor on Twitter @MonitorUpdate

About NHS Trust Development Authority

• An independent organisation, the NHS TDA works closely with other important national bodies such as NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and Monitor, to help to ensure they play an important role in providing broader health system leadership to deliver sustainable, high quality care.
• The NHS TDA brings together a number of functions previously carried out within the Department of Health, Strategic Health Authorities and by the Appointments Commission. It has the core objective of supporting NHS trusts and ensuring that services to patients are of the highest possible quality, including:
  • assurance of clinical quality, governance and risk in NHS trusts;
  • appointments to NHS trusts, eg, of chairs and non-executive members and trustees for NHS charities where the Secretary of State has a power to appoint;
  • performance management of NHS trusts; and
  • management of the NHS foundation trust pipeline.
• Further information about the NHS Trust Development Authority is available from www.ntda.nhs.uk