End of an Era - Halton and St Helens PCT

Press Release31 March 2011Thursday, 31 st March marks the end of an era for staff at NHS Haltonand St Helens.1 st April is the date when NHS Halton and St Helens divests itself of itsresponsibility to provide community services and will instead focus on supportingits GP colleagues to commission – buy – services which are most needed bypatients and their families.The community services will transfer to Ashton, Leigh and Wigan CommunityHealthcare NHS Trust – which is soon to change its name to BridgewaterCommunity Healthcare NHS Trust to reflect the Trust’s extended geographicfootprint.This change is a central feature of the far reaching reforms within the NHS WhitePaper, ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’, which sets out theGovernment’s long term vision for the NHS.At the heart of these reforms is devolving budgets and power to local GPs andproviding them with the knowledge, skills and experience of NHS staff to buy theservices which they, as front line clinicians, recognise as those most needed bytheir patients.

Locally four consortia representing GPs from across the two boroughs have beencharged with the responsibility to drive forward the Government’s ambitions.Already they are working on several ambitious schemes to improve services andcare they deliver to patients.Under the new arrangements the PCT will form part of a new ‘Mersey’ clustertogether with Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley PCT’s.Dr Steve Cox, Local GP and Medical Director with NHS Halton and St Helens said‘This is a fantastic opportunity for colleagues within general practice to work withcolleagues in the PCT, to develop patient services. The NHS reforms have beengreatly welcomed by GPs who believe that GP Commissioning Consortia canmake a real difference.”Andrew Burgess, Chief Executive of NHS Halton and St Helens said “Todaymarks the end of an era. I shall be sorry to see our community services go butappreciate that it must happen and I wish them well. I am very excited by thefuture and the opportunity for us, as commissioners, to drive improvements inhealthcare. However, it is critical during this period of complex change that wecontinue to deliver high standards of care for our patients and this remains ourcentral priority.”The newly extended Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Community Healthcare NHS Trustwill change its name to Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust to reflectthe fact that from 1 st April it incorporates community service providers fromHalton and St Helens, Ashton, Leigh and Wigan, Warrington and Trafford will beresponsible for delivering a network of high quality patient focused NHS serviceswithin the communities they live.Its creation is the direct result of far reaching Government reforms which requireall PCTs across the country to divest themselves of responsibility for theprovision of services.Heading up the newly extended community NHS Trust is Dr Kate Fallon, ChiefExecutive. She said “I am delighted to be able to welcome colleagues from

Halton and St Helens who are joining our Trust and I look forward to workingclosely with them and finding out more about the communities they serve. It isimportant our local communities understand that these changes anddevelopments will not change the way they access the community services theycurrently receive.“The reforms are all about allowing our frontline clinicians to work for the greatergood of patients, to share best practice and work with their colleagues to furtherdevelop the services they provide.”Pictured – Kate Fallon, Chief Executive of Ashton Leigh and Wigan Community Health Care NHSTrust and Andrew Burgess, Chief Executive of Halton and St Helens PCT.For further information contact the Communications Team on:Jeanette Jones, Communications OfficerEmail: jeanette.jones@hsthpct.nhs.ukTel: 0151 495 5179Philippa Rowley, Communication and Engagement AdministratorEmail: philippa.rowley@hsthpct.nhs.ukTel: 0151 495 5187