Broad Lea House Bradley Business Park Dyson Wood Way Bradley Huddersfield HD2 1GZ Tel: 01484 464040 27 July 2012 To: the residents of North Kirklees RE: An open letter regarding health service proposals We are currently looking at proposals on how we can modernise and reorganise local health and social care services to ensure they are of good quality, safe, and affordable for the longer term. This is essential to meet a number of challenges, not least the fact that people are now living longer. While this is very welcome news, it means there will be even more demand for health and social care services. Over the next 20 years we will see twice as many people living to the age of 85 and beyond and a 250% increase in the numbers of people with long-term conditions, including dementia. We therefore need to make some significant changes to the way we deliver health and social care services in order to meet this challenge. An important part of this work is how we organise the services provided in our local hospitals. This element of the wider programme of work is referred to as our Clinical Services Strategy, and aims to make sure people continue to get the best possible care and most advanced treatments from their hospital services and that we can meet the increasing demands for care. We are currently considering two options for changes to the way services are delivered. We want to be very clear that neither of these is proposing to close Dewsbury and District Hospital or the Emergency Department (A&E). What we are looking at is the type of services an A&E department might provide in future. Under Option 1, there would be no change to the Emergency Department at Dewsbury and District Hospital. However under Option 2, it is proposed that the service would change from being a Type 1 to a Type 3. A Type 1 is a consultant-led 24-hour service with full resuscitation facilities and designated beds for patients admitted through A&E. A patient who is severely or critically ill such as a collapsed patient who remains unconscious would need to be
managed at a Type 1 emergency department with support from acute medical, radiology (x-ray) and intensive care teams. A Type 3 covers a range of services, which can be doctor or nurse-led. This includes treating emergency injuries and illnesses that are classed as minor to moderate, such as broken bones, sprains and strains, minor burns and minor head injuries. We anticipate around 60% of people currently using A&E services in Dewsbury could be treated at such a facility. We want to be open with people so that you know the sort of things we are considering, but the proposals are still developing and as such, nothing final has been decided. We are basing our planning on evidence of what will provide the best outcomes for patients as well as what is safe, affordable and sustainable for the longer term. We want Dewsbury to have a vibrant hospital that serves the needs of its communities for years to come. This work will determine how we can achieve that. We will be continuing to discuss these proposals as widely as possible over the coming months, and the views of patients and local communities will be a key part of determining the preferred options for consultation next year. Enclosed with this letter are some questions and answers which have been drawn up in response to feedback we’ve had locally. We hope they will provide some more useful context and clarity. For more information about the Clinical Services Strategy, visit www.kirklees.nhs.uk and click on Get Involved. Yours faithfully Stephen Eames
Mike Potts
Interim Chief Executive, The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Chief Executive, Clinical Chair, NHS Calderdale, Kirklees North Kirklees Clinical and Wakefield District Commissioning Group
ENC: Q&A
Dr David Kelly