SaHF DMBC Volume 1 Edition 1.1.pdf - Shaping a healthier future

“The Brent Health Partnerships Overview and Scrutiny Committee believes a strong clinical
case for change has been made by NHS North West London and that health services need
to be reconfigured to secure better outcomes for patients. This will mean that difficult
decisions will need to be taken, but to “do nothing” is not an option and it is in everyone’s
interests to ensure that services in London have a sustainable future.”
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
“We strongly support the case for change set out in the consultation document.”
Royal College of Surgeons
“Because of the importance of these standards [Commissioning Standards, published in
2012 by London Healthcare Programmes] for emergency surgical care, the College of
Surgeons has been represented on the North West London reconfiguration Board to ensure
that the principals of best practice in emergency surgical care will be strengthened and
improved by the chosen or preferred options for change…..At the present time, it is clear that
the surgical standards cannot be met with any consistency across North West London.”
Ealing Council
“The Council recognises that NHS North-West London have attempted to make a strong
case for the need for change, and that difficult decisions have to be made. It accepts that “do
nothing” is not an option and it is in everyone’s interests to ensure that there is a sustainable
and effective health economy in North West London.”
Feedback received also suggested alternatives to the case for change:
Labour Group at Kensington and Chelsea Council
“The present proposals are driven mainly by financial imperatives rather than a
comprehensive review of what needs to happen to improve health in North West London.”
Independent reports conducted by Tim Rideout Limited on behalf of the London
Borough of Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham Council
“Trusts are successfully meeting the current quality and financial challenges without the
need for radical reconfiguration.
Indeed, there are other options open to the NHS organisations in NW London. Locally, the
potential merger of Ealing Hospitals NHS Trust and North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
merger should be addressed first before reconfiguration. In addition there are other means of
achieving financial sustainability not addressed within the business case, including:
Renegotiation of Public Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts:
Patient pathway reconfiguration
Commissioner/provider agreement to modify Payment by Results (PbR)”
9.3.4 The implications of this feedback on the Case for Change
The feedback we received about the Case for Change did include suggestions for
alternatives. We considered these alternatives to reconfiguration as follows:
Response to feedback about renegotiation of Public Finance Initiative (PFI)
contracts in the Rideout report: West Middlesex and NW London Hospitals have
confirmed that they intend to review PFI contracts and achieve the lowest possible
cost, but this work has no bearing on the SAHF appraisal of the options because it
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