Care trust chiefs back move of mental health services (From The Northern Echo)

Care trust chiefs back move of mental health services

9:40am Monday 26th March 2007

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MENTAL health chiefs have backed the decision to move psychiatric intensive care facilities from north Durham to Darlington.

The decision, by County Durham Primary Care Trust (PCT), means that earlier plans to create intensive care facilities at the County Hospital in Durham City have been shelved.

Despite concerns by members of the public and staff that centralisation in Darlington would adversely affect services in the north of the county, PCT officials have accepted arguments for the move.

Officials believe that the centralisation of all County Durham psychiatric intensive care facilities at the recently-built West Park Hospital on the outskirts of Darlington is the most cost- effective approach.

In a report to the PCT board, Rosemary Granger, North-East director of commissioning for mental health and disabilities, pointed out that improvements to community care for patients, combined with increased staffing levels throughout the trust, meant that two separate intensive care units were no longer needed.

As part of efforts to ensure patients and their families from north Durham are not disadvantaged by the move, the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust - which runs the West Park Hospital - will continue to provide a free taxi service for relatives and friends wishing to visit any patient staying at the Darlington unit.

The ten-bed Darlington unit is supported by 15 special care beds and health chiefs are confident that they can meet county-wide care needs.

Officials calculate that only a relatively small number of people from Durham, Chester-le-Street and Derwentside, about 50 a year, need to stay at the Darlington unit.

On average, patients spend less than 30 days there before before being transferred back to facilities in north Durham.

Services from the north of Durham transferred to West Park Hospital from the County Hospital in Durham in April 2005.

A 14-week consultation process which began last November came to an end last month.

In response to concerns from members of the public whether West Park Hospital had sufficient capacity, officials from the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys trust said they were confident that the Darlington hospital has sufficient beds.

A recently-appointed consultant with an interest in intensive care services will closely monitor capacity, the trust said.

Patients in North-East face shortest waiting times

A REPORT released today shows that patients in the North-East have the shortest waiting times in the country for diagnostic tests known as endoscopies.

Endoscopies are carried out to check for abnormalities such as ulcers or cancers in the stomach or intestines and to remove samples for investigation. The procedure involves inserting a probe and tiny camera via the patient's throat.

In the North-East, long waits for endoscopies have been virtually eliminated.

Types of endoscopies include: gastroscopies (which examine the upper digestive tract), and colonoscopies and flexi-sigmoidoscopies (both of which examine the lower bowel).

At the time of the Healthcare Commission's survey, no North-East patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for a routine gastroscopy and only one per cent were waiting more than 13 weeks for a colonoscopy or a flexi-sigmoidoscopy.

David Flory, chief executive of NHS North-East, said: "This is excellent news for patients in the North-East, and it is testimony to the hard work of NHS staff in local endoscopy units that we are making such good progress.

"By the end of 2008, no patient should be waiting more than 18 weeks from referral to treatment. In order to achieve this challenging target, we are focused on making sure that patients are seen quickly for any tests or scans they require as part of their diagnosis.

"Endoscopy units have a vital role in successful detection and treatment of serious diseases such as bowel cancer."

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