Shropcom CEO welcomes community focus in NHS Long Term Plan
1 February 2019
The Chief Executive of Shropshire Community Health has welcomed the focus on community services in the new Long Term Plan for the NHS.
The growth of community health services are at the centre of the new NHS Long Term Plan.
And that focus on care delivered in people’s homes or in their communities has been welcomed by Jan Ditheridge, Chief Executive of Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (Shropcom).
Shropcom delivers community services to a population of almost half a million people across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin – covering an area of more than 1,300 square miles.
And, speaking at the Trust’s Board meeting yesterday, Jan welcomed having the spotlight turned on this pivotal part of the health system.
“I’m delighted to say the Long Term Plan is full of things we welcome, and have been talking about for some time,” she said.
“It’s very good to see, in black and white, a commitment to delivering community services across the nation.
“It was also good to see a focus in there on how we retain staff and address our workforce challenges, as well as an emphasis on children’s services – which have had too low a profile at times.
“To get some of these things written in stone is extremely helpful.”
The Long Term Plan states that patients will benefit from services ranging from improved neonatal care for new parents and babies to life-changing stroke therapy and integrated support to keep older people out of hospital, living longer and more independent lives.
It is also the first time in the NHS’ 70-year history that there has been a guarantee that investment in primary, community and mental health care will grow faster than the growing overall NHS budget. This will fund a £4.5 billion new service model for the 21st century across England, where health bodies come together to provide better, joined up care in partnership with local government.
Speaking at the launch of the Long Term Plan in early January, Ian Dalton, Chief Executive of NHS Improvement, said: “At the heart of the NHS are hard-working staff who pull out all the stops to care for patients every day. It is thanks to their dedication that the NHS is admired around the world and that it has taken great strides over the last seven decades.
“We need to build on these achievements and make the best use of the new investment to fundamentally reset how the NHS is run so that our growing and ageing population can get the right care at the right time and in the right place.
“This means breaking down organisational barriers to take a more holistic approach to how care is delivered and paid for, embracing new and existing forms of technology, recruiting and retaining the right number of staff, and shifting the focus away from hospitals to prevention and care in the community.
“Developed by those working within the NHS, the long term plan sets out an exciting roadmap for how we will do this together for the benefit of patients.”
And that focus on care delivered in people’s homes or in their communities has been welcomed by Jan Ditheridge, Chief Executive of Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (Shropcom).
Shropcom delivers community services to a population of almost half a million people across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin – covering an area of more than 1,300 square miles.
And, speaking at the Trust’s Board meeting yesterday, Jan welcomed having the spotlight turned on this pivotal part of the health system.
“I’m delighted to say the Long Term Plan is full of things we welcome, and have been talking about for some time,” she said.
“It’s very good to see, in black and white, a commitment to delivering community services across the nation.
“It was also good to see a focus in there on how we retain staff and address our workforce challenges, as well as an emphasis on children’s services – which have had too low a profile at times.
“To get some of these things written in stone is extremely helpful.”
The Long Term Plan states that patients will benefit from services ranging from improved neonatal care for new parents and babies to life-changing stroke therapy and integrated support to keep older people out of hospital, living longer and more independent lives.
It is also the first time in the NHS’ 70-year history that there has been a guarantee that investment in primary, community and mental health care will grow faster than the growing overall NHS budget. This will fund a £4.5 billion new service model for the 21st century across England, where health bodies come together to provide better, joined up care in partnership with local government.
Speaking at the launch of the Long Term Plan in early January, Ian Dalton, Chief Executive of NHS Improvement, said: “At the heart of the NHS are hard-working staff who pull out all the stops to care for patients every day. It is thanks to their dedication that the NHS is admired around the world and that it has taken great strides over the last seven decades.
“We need to build on these achievements and make the best use of the new investment to fundamentally reset how the NHS is run so that our growing and ageing population can get the right care at the right time and in the right place.
“This means breaking down organisational barriers to take a more holistic approach to how care is delivered and paid for, embracing new and existing forms of technology, recruiting and retaining the right number of staff, and shifting the focus away from hospitals to prevention and care in the community.
“Developed by those working within the NHS, the long term plan sets out an exciting roadmap for how we will do this together for the benefit of patients.”
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