Published: 16 February 2006
Closer to Home Working Group
Health minister Lord Warner has announced the formation of the Care Closer to Home Demonstration Group (CCHDG), made up of members from the medical profession, to help deliver the policies outlined in the recent White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say.
The CCHDG will comprise the:
· Royal College of Physicians
· Royal College of General Pracitioners
· British Medical Association
· Royal College of Surgeons
· Royal College of Nursing and
· NHS Confederation and others
It is intended that it will lead the way in looking at providing care closer to home in six specialities:
· ear, nose and throat
· trauma and orthopaedics
· dermatology
· urology
· gynaecology and
· general surgery
There will be approximately 20-30 demonstration sites across the country over the next 12 months which will be selected by specialist sub-groups made up of clinicians, GPs and PCTs.
The Department is also in the process of establishing a White Paper Workforce Group with Health and Social Care Trades Unions to explore the employment implications of the White Paper.
Lord Warner said:
"In planning for this change we have worked closely with the Royal Colleges and specialists associations in the run up to the publication of the White Paper.
We are now taking forward the work with the support of the Care Closer to Home Demonstration Group who will ensure that delivering on shifting care closer to home is based on the best use of highly specialist skills.
Over the next 12 months we will work with the six specialities at ground-breaking demonstration sites to define high quality models of care that can then be used nationwide.
There is good evidence from home and abroad that a wider range of healthcare can be provided safely and effectively in the community.
This shift some specialities and treatment from secondary care to community settings is central to providing the support for people with Long Term Conditions closer to home and deliver health services that are convenient to all”.
Professor Dame Carol Black, President, Royal College of Physicians, said:
"The Royal College of Physicians welcomes this opportunity, not only to explore new ways of delivering specialist services in close collaboration with primary care teams but also to align training with changing patterns of service delivery.
We applaud the intention to carry out pilot studies to evaluate such arrangements in the NHS setting."
Further information
Our Health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services White Paper
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