NHS Review in England
The President of the College recently attended a meeting with Lord Darzi regarding the NHS Review in England. It is apparent that an opportunity exists for closer involvement and direct engagement with the process. Please note the letter below and attached documents, and forward all responses to - nhsreview@rcoa.ac.uk It is appreciated this Review relates specifically to England; however, it should be noted for interest throughout the UK and comment is equally welcomed from all.
Dear Colleagues,
At a meeting on 7 February 2008, Lord Darzi emphasised the need for Colleges and their Fellows to be involved in local NHS (England) Review. This is a welcome announcement and is in line with previous advice that YOU should be engaging in this process within your Strategic Health Authority.
The current view is that there will not be a single NHS Review document, but each regional group will set out its plans for that Strategic Health Authority. The College is aware that in some regions there is good anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine representation on the Acute Care, Maternity and Children’s groups, but there are others where we are unsure if there is any representation from anaesthesia and its related specialties. There may be other groups where you are aware of relevant representation.
I would urge you all to make contact with the Regional Review Groups and enquire how their plans are taking shape. The leads for the review groups are named on the website - http://www.ournhs.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/clinical_review_leads12.doc They should be willing to share information with you. If you have concerns about local plans, I encourage you to write comments to your Review Groups and copy to the College at – nhsreview@rcoa.ac.uk.
These plans could have far-reaching consequences for the care of patients. Some of the early drafts of plans (and the published plan for London) have raised significant concerns about the quality of care that might be provided in the future. The documents referenced at the bottom of this letter set out the agreed, published principles for acute and maternity services. We are informed by Lord Darzi that the local groups are aware of these documents and are working to them. The terms of reference of the groups should be available locally. The contact details for the SHA Clinical Review Leads and Pathway Chairs are on the NHS Review website and also attached here.
Please act now; when the documents are published it will be too late and it will be said that 'doctors have been consulted'. The College is doing as much as it can nationally; it is up to you to use your influence on local processes.
URGENT ACTION YOU SHOULD TAKE:
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We have used the mailing lists available in the College for personal distribution where possible. To those of you outside England please take this for information only. If you wish to pass this letter to other colleagues not on the mailing list then please do so.
Judith Hulf
President Royal College of Anaesthetists
References:
Acute Health Care Services, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, September 2007 (http://www.aomrc.org.uk/documents/Acutehealthcareservicesreportof
aworkingparty2.pdf)
Safer Childbirth, October 2007 (http://www.rcog.org.uk/resources/public/pdf/safer_childbirth_report
_web.pdf)
Healthcare for London: A Framework for Action, July 2007 (http://www.healthcareforlondon.nhs.uk/pdf/aFrameworkForAction.pdf)
Our NHS: Our Future, Interim Report, October 2007 (http://www.ournhs.nhs.uk/fromtypepad/283411_OurNHS_v3acc.pdf)
Contact details for the SHA Clinical Review Leads and Pathway Chairs
08 Feb 2008
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