South Reading Patient Voice

The current reorganisation of the English NHS into "Sustainability and Transformation" areas was one of the topics at the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting held at short notice at Reading's Civic Offices on 14th June.

The Western half of Berkshire is joined with Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire in a new health planning area known variously as COBWeb, WeBOB or BOB, under the leadership of David Smith, CEO of Oxfordshire CCG. Although Oxford University hospitals will be at the heart of this region, Andy Ciecierski, chair of Western Berkshire's Urgent and Emergency Care Board, was able to reassure public and members present that there was little chance of removal or disruption of the well-performing Cardiac and Stroke emergency services at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Cathy Winfield, Accountable Officer for Western Berkshire CCGs, said that plan for the new area, due to be submitted to NHS England by 30th June, would now only need to select 3-5 priorities for the region over the period to march 2021. There were already developments taking place at the scale of the COBWeB region, such as the recommissioning of the 111 service, which had started before these new regional developments. The Accountable Care System, which was being established for Western Berkshire rather than the larger COBWeB region, would form part of healthcare in the whole COBWeB region. The larger region would work together on IT integration, on the problems of the medical workforce in high cost areas and common support for preventative healthcare.

The meeting also discussed the proposed move for most people with learning disability in inpatient accommodation to the community, with discussion of the community support arrangements, but also some uncertainty still as to the funding of community accommodation.

The 2016/17 plan for the integration of healthcare and social care, intended to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and to better support discharge and rehabilitation, was approved by the meeting.