Agenda item

Report attached for information.

The  ‘Deciding Together’ consultation looked at inpatient services for people who use mental health services.  In June 2016 the CCG governing body considered the findings of the Deciding Together process and made its decision about the future of the services.  The following statement was released:

“Mental health services in Newcastle and Gateshead are set to be transformed – reducing the amount of time people will spend in hospital and creating better, more integrated care outside of hospital in the community, and helping people to recover sooner – and bringing them onto an equal footing with physical health care….  The changes will mean the creation of new in-patient facilities at Newcastle’s St Nicholas’ Hospital, and the opportunity to innovate a wider range of improved and new community services, some that will be specifically provided by community and voluntary sector organisations under future new contracts, that will link with statutory NHS services.

While the decision will mean the closure of Gateshead’s standalone Tranwell Unit, as well as the Hadrian Clinic in Newcastle, it provides the opportunity to make significant changes that will create new interlinking community and hospital mental health services that will reduce the reliance on hospital stays, shorten the time people spend in hospital and overall improve their experience of services, helping them to recover sooner, stay well and have fulfilling lives.

Older people’s services in Newcastle would also change and be consolidated at St Nicholas’ Hospital, closing wards based on the former Newcastle General Hospital site.

The money released from these changes will be invested into new and enhanced services that will create a better way for people to be supported and cared for in their own communities, minimising the need for in-patient care because new innovative services will support them, when they need it.”

The Board were advised that the decision which has been made is not changing.  This update is to advise on the process which will be undertaken to implement the decision.

The redesign work will cover all adult and older peoples mental health services in Gateshead and Newcastle; this recognises that the Deciding Together scope was limited to NTW provided services and that it was not sufficiently broad to redesign services to meet the mental health needs of the population.  The increased scope, therefore, means covering the Gateshead and Newcastle provision of:

ØAll NTW NHS Trust provided adult and older people’s services

ØGateshead Health NHS Trust provided older peoples mental health services (new to scope)

ØThird sector services, community and voluntary service services (new to scope)

ØSocial care services (new to scope)

The Accountable Officer Partnership for Gateshead and Newcastle has identified Ian Renwick, Chief Executive of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, as the accountable officer sponsoring this work.   Three work streams will be established to take this work forward. These are:

Resource review

·      Briefly revisiting the validity of the Deciding Together resource assumptions (finances, activity, and capital).

·      Appraising the available capital to accommodate the decision.

Stakeholder views

·      Appraising the outcomes of Deciding Together and providing feedback on them.

·      Proposing solutions to any concerns raised.

Design programme

·      Developing a community services specification

·      Developing an inpatient services specification

 It was noted that a core and crucial component of the work programme will be the redesign of community mental health services.

The issue of waiting times for Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) was also raised and it was requested that a report on this issue be brought to a future Board meeting.

RESOLVED    -           (i)         That the information contained within the report be                                       be noted.

                                    (ii)         That further updates be brought to the Board as they become available.

(iii) That a report on CAMHS waiting times for Gateshead residents be brought to a future Board meeting.