Hinchingbrooke's Future

The Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust's public consultation on future services at Hinchingbrooke in February 2007 'Seeking Sustainable Health Services for the People of Huntingdonshire' set out three options to maintain a full range of local health services.

The PCT, the public and the Trust all selected 'Option 2' as the most viable and popular and this option stated:

"The remodelling of services is required to deliver services that are clinically and financially sustainable, and which meet the PCT's requirement to reduce activity."

The Sustainable Hospital Programme supports and co-ordinates the remodelling projects that are going on all over the hospital in every department and every service.

The Programme is divided into five areas

Service Propositions - looking at clinical services
Estates Projects - looking at building and facilities
Supporting Strategies - projects looking at capacity and patient pathways
Efficiency and Savings - specifically looking at savings
Other supporting projects - looking at support services such as Pharmacy and Finance

Service Propositions

The New Look Outpatients

In April 2004 the Government changed the primary medical care contracting arrangements to encourage the provision of health services in locations closer to patients homes. The result of this has been the move of some of the Outpatient clinics to local surgeries and centres such as the Oak Tree Centre. The Oak Tree was specifically built by the PCT to take clinics, and many local surgeries also have specialist facilities and experience to cater for patients. For example Buckden is a specialist surgery for Dermatology.

By selecting 'Option 2' in February 2006, the Trust, the PCT and the public set out the proposal to move clinics where appropriate, into the community and to remodel services on the hospital site.

As part of these proposals, sexual health services moved from the Treatment Centre to the Oak Tree Centre in Huntingdon and many of the outpatient services in the main hospital building moved into the modern accommodation of the Treatment Centre.

Fracture and orthopaedic clinics combined and moved to a specially adapted area in the main hospital building outpatients, where it is close to X-ray.

Estates Projects

The Estates projects have been developing our newly refursbished wards at the front of the hospital. All bays in the acute wards now have en-suite facilities and sliding doors, which enable greater privacy and dignity for our patients, as well as helping us to prevent the spread of infections such as Norovirus.

There has also been the development of an isolation unit, an admissions and discharge lounge and upgraded facilities in the post-natal ward, Lilac. A Midwifery-led Birthing Unit is currently being built and plans are being developed to look at a new, upgraded Critical Care Centre.

Alongside these building projects are plans to improve the efficiency of our processes and to improve experiences for patients and staff.

About Hinchingbrooke

History of the Trust

The Trust Board

Equality and Diversity

Publication Scheme

Performance

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Whistleblowing Policy