Meeting: Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee (County Hall, Durham - Committee Room 2 - 02/10/2006 09:30:00 AM)
Item: A5 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trusts - Haematology and Chemotherapy Services Review 2006
Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee
2nd October 2006 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. Haematology and Chemotherapy Services Review (update) 2006 | |
| Report of the Head of Overview and Scrutiny |
Purpose of Report
1. To consider a report on the review of Haematology and Chemotherapy services for County Durham and Darlington Hospitals NHS Trust.
2. To respond to the recommendations of the review.
Background
3. In January 2005 the directorate of medicine and elderly care for Durham
Memorial Hospital and Bishop Auckland General Hospital produced a
strategic review of haematology and chemotherapy services in south Durham.
4. The review concluded that a centralised in-patient service was urgent, and furthermore a single centralised trust wide centralisation (to incorporate Durham) should be considered.
5. A consensus on the way forward was not agreed.
6. After preliminary discussions in late 2005/2006, an independent process led by Dr Steven Singleton was established. The purpose of this was to update the review with terms of reference that included making clear recommendations to the Trust Board for the future development of:
• A single trust wide haematology service;
• The future of inpatient haematology & chemotherapy services.
Information
7. This piece of work took into account all of the preceding work, including the Darzi review and two cancer networks’ “improving outcomes guidance” for haematology, the views of patients and local public representatives, trust staff, local commissioners, ‘visiting’ staff (specifically consultant oncologists from South Tees Trust cancer services) and County Durham and Tees Valley SHA.
8. The conclusion of this review recommends that:
1. There should be a single haematology service for the trust
2. There should be a centralisation of inpatient services, immediately
incorporating the Darlington and Bishop Auckland services at Bishop
Auckland, and designed to extend to include Durham services.
9. Dr Stephen Singleton has been the medical director of NTWSHA since 2002. He is a previous chair of the Northern Cancer Network and is the lead SHA director on cancer issues.
A copy of the report is attached at appendix 1.
Recommendation
11. The Health Scrutiny Committee welcomes the Independent review of Haematology and Chemotherapy Services for County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust led by Dr. Steven Singleton.
12. The Health Scrutiny Committee welcomes the recommendations and the direction of travel to centralise inpatient services based on a case for change that will improve outcomes for patients.
13. The Health Scrutiny Committee notes the emotive issues associated with an agenda to “centralise inpatient services” and the potential impact this may have on Local Authority areas that share the same boundary with NHS organisations.
| TO VIEW APPENDIX 1 PLEASE REFER TO HARD COPIES LOCATED IN CORPORATE SERVICES AND THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE |