The Guildford Society believes a healthy population is a primary indicator of an attractive place to live. Although it is dependent on a good Health Service. good health also requires a good built environment, green space, and economic vibrancy.
The Society has become increasingly concerned that the Guildford's health infrastructure is failing to meet the needs of a growing population. The Government has now published its 10 year plan for the NHS (Executive Summary Fit for the Future).
The new policy requires more patient care to be moved into local neighbourhoods It must be noted that this has been the preferred NHS policy for 25 years but often implemented with varying energy.
The government is proposing that the NHS focusses more on Primary Care that covers all of the services such as GPs and community based services.
Secondary Care describes hospital services in general hospitals such Accident and Emergency, and a wide variety of treatment.
Tertiary Care covers specialist services mainly based in specialist hospitals such as oncology, neurosciences, cardiology, tertiary orthopaedics, tertiary paediatrics, etc.
Note the Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH) is the general hospital for Guildford providing Secondary Care but with a large Tertiary Care element specialising in Cancer Care (Oncology).
The focus on Primary Care will mean health care will be delivered closer to home, reducing the need for patients to depend on hospitals for their care. Being treated closer to their homes or at home is the preference of most patients. Surveys show better health outcomes and lower costs for the NHS.
This move is part of an ‘integrated care’ thinking where there is seamless, joined-up ‘care pathway’ focused on each patient’s individual needs. Most care will be delivered in the community. Patient monitoring will change fundamentally. Multi-disciplinary teams providing a range of primary care services will operate out of GP practices. Innovative new services like so called ‘Virtual Wards’ will operate more extensively.
Across the country innovative primary and community facilities are being built providing their local populations with comprehensive, integrated care.
To achieve the results outlined in the NHS 10-year plan - Fit For the Future there is a need to improve community based healthcare services in Guildford. To be effective these services need new, idelly purpose built, facilities where all the disciplines can be based to provide seamless patient focused care. These services can include GPs, podiatry, mental health, dentistry, physiotherapy, treatment procedures, pharmacy, health and wellbeing services, children's services, etc. Most GP surgeries currently don't provide this wide selection of services.
Numerous descriptions are in use for this type of primary and community healthcare centres such as health centres, health and wellbeing centres, polyclinics, community hubs, etc. We have adopted the terminology Health Centre
An example is the
Tessa Jowell Health Centre
Tessa Jowell health centre | Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
This healthcare centre is key to the transformation of primary and community health and wellbeing services across south Southwark. It is designed to integrate primary, community health and wellbeing services to meet the needs of growing local population. The Tessa Jowell Health Centre delivers much-needed improvement to local health services in East Dulwich, South East London and is a purpose-built health hub for the local community. The facility is at the heart of local health commissioner’s efforts to transform GP and community-based services in Dulwich and the surrounding area.
More examples of a Health Centres can be found here
This will free up hospitals to do what they do best, treating patients with acute care needs and reducing waiting times.
The Royal Surrey, like all NHS hospitals, is in a continuous struggle to keep waiting times down and would benefit enormously if patients, particularly outpatients, could be treated in the community by GPs and other health professionals.
Guildford’s capability is seriously constrained by the absence of modern, purpose-built facilities designed to deliver neighbourhood health services.
Health services which are constrained by cramped, poorly equipped buildings can only offer a limited range of services, particularly for those patients with a range of complex needs. This is particularly apparent in north Guildford which has a serious issue with the state of Health facilities.
Locally, they are denied the experience of visiting modern primary and community health centres where they can be seen by a team of multi-disciplinary health professionals in one location in a single visit.
Guildford hasn’t seen any new facilities built for primary and community health care for approximately 40 years. The Integrated Care Board ICB’s own statutory risk register also admits to the parlous state of GP premises in Guildford and across Surrey. They own up to ’premises which [can]not deliver fit-for-purpose primary care’. Also, ‘if current primary care estates capacity is not increased, then this could prevent any work stream aimed at bringing services from hospital to community.’
Current demand is not being met and things will only get worse with the forecast increase in Guildford’s population. The government is requesting Guildford supply 1155 dwellings per annum from 1-4-2025 which could add 10-15,000 new patients needing access to health care over the next five years.
In 2019, the then Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Group, succeeded by the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB), published plans for the development of two new primary and community care facilities. One was at a site in Park Barn which has subsequently been sold. The other was for the redevelopment of the NHS owned Jarvis Centre (See Picture Below).
The Guildford Society, St Catherine’s Village and Onslow Residents Associations, Guildford Borough Council and others participated as members of the CCG’s Stakeholder Reference Group. There were significant inputs to this process from these parties and individual residents over approximately two years. All communication from the CCG stopped abruptly in early 2023. You can read about some of the story in December 2021 article in the Guildford Dragon. https://guildford-dragon.com/opinion-reorganisation-of-guildford-gp-practices-would-lead-to-poorer-service/
Absolutely nothing has happened since to progress new facilities.
According to the ICB this is through a lack of funds. Yet, throughout this period it has poured tens of millions of pounds into the redevelopment of the Royal Surrey. The ICB appears to have constrained the development of neighbourhood health.
The RSCH has during the same period, through prudent financial management, built one of strongest balance sheets of any NHS hospital in the country. Is it time for the RSCH to finance its own development projects?
The Guildford Society has lobbied the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board intensively for the past two years without any success. Our full position is set out in our latest proposals submitted in April which can be accessed via the society’s website. LINK Assume this is you 200 slide pack? Also include a link to the NHS 10 year plan.
Opportunity for Change?
We now have:
1/ A government injecting energy into moving to a Health Centre model for the NHS.
2/ Guildford Borough council are working on an updated local plan that must be an opportunity to identify Health Centre sites, which will demand good transport links and other supporting infrastructure.
3/ Guildford Borough council are also considering adopting Community Infrastructure Levy’s (CIL) for new development which may unlock funding for Health Centres that service new developments.
We can see no ICB strategy for neighbourhood health and no plans to fund it adequately in the future.
The question is when will the Board publish its intentions to provide a comprehensive community care service and deliver the vision of the 10-year NHS Plan?
Guildford has many of the building blocks to provide one of the best health care environments in the country. It’s time for local health managers to seize the day.
You will also find links to the NHS 10 Year Plan - Fit for the Future.
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We want our town to be vibrant, attractive and liveable. We support development that brings a sense of place and enhances the best aspects of our town. If such aims can be embraced, we believe Guildford has the chance to lead the way in enabling sensitive and sustainable development.
Pressures for development are increasing. Planning rules are being eased. The Society’s commitment to standing up for Guildford is needed more than ever.
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