NHS Confederation - Health sector needs ‘new models of care’
16 Jun 2014 02:10 PM
The healthcare sector must identify new
models of care for patients and come up with creative ways to address the
scale challenges facing smaller hospitals, a new report by regulator Monitor
has recommended (13 June).
Following a review on the effect the size of an
organisation – acute providers – has on
performance, the regulator found no clear evidence that smaller acute
hospitals perform worse clinically than larger counterparts.
'Greater financial challenges'
But
the review showed evidence that smaller providers may be starting to face
greater financial challenges, with performance worsening more than the sector
as a whole in the last two years.
The report, Facing the
future, says size is likely to become
more of an issue as hospitals face greater pressures to recruit staff to
further improve the quality of care.
As
such, Monitor has recommended that the health sector:
- identifies new models of care for patients, such as
re-designing services to improve the integration of care and move it closer to
home
- develops creative ways to address the scale challenges,
such as sharing staff with nearby trusts, using new technology, or building
networks between smaller hospitals and major centres
- makes sure that the right balance is struck in local
communities between redesigning services and making sure patients are treated
near to where they live
'Stop obsessing'
Commenting on the report, NHS Confederation chief
executive, Rob Webster, said: “This important report provides additional
weight to the view that we need to stop obsessing about the size of
organisations and start thinking much more about models of
care.
"Small hospitals have a future as part of a
whole-system approach to healthcare. Along with everyone else, small hospitals
will have to adapt the range of services that they provide, and the ways in
which they do so, as they continue to be part of the offer of local access to
healthcare."
'One size will not fit all'
Mr
Webster went on to say: “The 2015 Challenge Declaration, published by the
NHS Confederation on behalf of a broad partnership, provides a helpful backdrop
to this work. A key element of this approach is that one size will not fit
all.
"Local communities need the freedom and flexibility
to find the right solutions for their local populations’ health
needs.
'No significant correlation'
“The evidence... shows no significant correlation
between quality of care, size and financial viability, based on a sample of
assessed small providers," he said.
"This endorses the view that new models of care
– rather than different structures to deliver such care – are now
required by the system.
“Ultimately, we need to ensure that the 21st
century patient receives ongoing support and care in the right place and at the
right time to deliver the best outcomes.”