NHS Providers launches suite of publications to expand community health services

‘Community Health Services - A Way of Life’ calls for greater focus of patient care in home, clinic and pharmacy settings to relieve some of the pressure placed upon hospitals. The proposals suggest hospitals should be reserved for high risk and specialists intervention, with a refocussed healthcare strategy supporting better community health services through better supply of of trained and skilled professionals.

Gill Morgan, chair of NHS Providers, said: “Healthcare at home, in clinics, surgeries and pharmacies should be seen as the default and desirable place for most people’s healthcare with only intense need, high risk and specialist intervention requiring the unique abilities of a hospital. Hospitals can be risky places for the older people with complex chronic diseases with increased rates of infection and sometimes over-treatment. At last this is being recognised and the drive now is to reduce our dependency on beds.

She added: “In order for this to happen we will need commitment, leadership, and, crucially, an NHS freed to develop and move to new models of local, community-based, person-centred care and provide the services that can only be delivered in a hospital at the same time. This is the only way to unleash the community sector’s current benefit and future potential. Commissioning and regulation needs to keep pace, enabling new and expanded community models of care provided in and around peoples’ homes. They will need to modify their approaches and assessments in order to assure themselves that trusts providing community health services are safe, well led and positive for all.

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