Have your say on commissioners' plans to safeguard hospital services
Mansfield and Ashfield, and Newark and Sherwood Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are seeking views from the public about contingency proposals to make sure critical hospital services can continue to be provided at Sherwood Forest Hospitals sites in any event.
The process, known as Commissioner Requested Services, is a requirement of all clinical commissioning groups by Monitor; the health sector regulator for England. The exercise aims to protect the acute hospital services pinpointed by commissioners to always be delivered in the locality. These services become part of any licensing agreements with the regulator. This means that they will always be protected in the event that a provider of hospital services is no longer able to continue for financial or quality reasons.
Both CCGs have put together proposals about services that should always be provided in the locality. The proposals also list services that commissioners currently think could potentially be provided in the community or at another hospital in the event of a the current hospital provider is no longer able to continue to deliver the services themselves.
Please be reassured that this is an exercise in contingency planning and does not indicate that local health services are going to be changed. It is understandable that any discussions about contingency planning for hospital failures can be worrying because this is a new process for the NHS. However, we have an obligation to make sure that vital acute NHS services are protected. In light of current concerns about the stability of our main hospital provider, we are simply carrying out duties to plan for any eventuality. We are asking a series of questions about our proposals and we encourage people to let us know their views.
This leafet outlines a list of the hospital services the CCG proposes should always be provided from their existing locations, such as the range of emergency services, maternity and neonatal services and services at Newark Hospital.
Have your say
People are invited to attend open events to give their views:
Tuesday 24 November 2015
10am -12pm, Turner Community Hall, Welbeck Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, NG19 9JY
Tuesday 24 November 2015
1pm - 3pm, The Summit Centre, Pavilion Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, NG17 7LL
Tuesday 24 November 2015
6pm - 8pm, Clipstone Social Club, Mansfield Road, Clipstone Village, Mansfield, NG21 9AL
Thursday 26 November 2015
10am – 12pm, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, NG24 1DU
Thursday 26 November 2015
6pm – 8pm, Edwinstowe House, High St, Edwinstowe, NG21 9PR
People can also complete an online questionnaire by visiting: www.mansfieldandashfieldccg.nhs.uk and www.newarkandsherwoodccg.nhs.uk
If you have any questions please get in touch by telephone on 01623 673 591or by email at NSHCCG.bettertogether@nhs.net