South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (SSPCT)
www.southstaffordshirepct.nhs.uk
The SSPCT commission and provide many services you'd expect from the NHS, they comission hospitals, GP Surgeries, pharmacists and provide a long list of community services inside and outside of hospitals. South Staffordshire PCT serves a population of over 600,000 people and has an annual budget of £681,000,000. It is located within the boundaries of Staffordshire County. Although mostly rural, the PCT contains a number of towns and cities including Burton upon Trent, Cannock, Lichfield, Stafford, Tamworth and Uttoxeter.
Current Consultations and Events
The Government NHS White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" sets out the Government's long-term vision for the future of the NHS. The vision includes removing the Primary Care Trust structure and places more decision making power in the hands of General Practitioners (GPs) who will operate in clustered groups called GP Consortia. All NHS Trusts will have to have Foundation status (meaning they will be 'owned' by their members, made up of public, patients and staff) by 2013.
Download the White Paper from:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_117353
In response to the White Paper, the PCT are looking to separate it's commissioning arm from its service provider arm. The service provider element is looking to merge with NHS North Staffordshire and NHS Stoke on Trent (the two PCTs in the north of the county) into a new Community Trust. You can out more here:
http://www.southstaffordshirepct.nhs.uk/HaveYourSay/future-of-your-community-services.asp
Active Consultations
The PCT are currently asking for yout opinions on certain themes through Consultation. You can found out about current consulations here:
http://www.southstaffordshirepct.nhs.uk/HaveYourSay/activeConsultations.asp
The South Staffordshire PCT are seeking your views on how they should organise health and social care services within Staffordshire in the future.in the context of moving service provision over to the new Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent NHS Partnership Trust which will be formed later this year.
For more information, please follow the link below:
http://www.southstaffordshirepct.nhs.uk/HaveYourSay/form/integration_health-and-social-care.asp
Past Engagement & Consultations
Day Hospitals - Public Engagement
South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) in partnership with South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (SSSHFT) are undertaking a period of engagement on a proposal for modernising some of the mental health day services in the South Staffordshire PCT area. This has just begun and will run until 9 March 2011. This includes the closure of Day Hospitals, see
here for more information.
The PCT have recently consulted on Pharmacists asking if there's enough of them, if people are satisfied with the level of service and if pharmacists should offer any other services.
Patient Advisory Liaison Service
Each NHS Trust has its own PALS. The PALS teams are there to pass on comments, compliments and are the gateway into making complaints. They are there to help support patients, families and carers.
http://www.southstaffordshirepct.nhs.uk/pals/index.asp
E-mail: PALS@southstaffspct.nhs.uk
Tel: 01543 465106 or
01543 412929
Public and Patient Involvement
Soft Intelligence
The PCT's Public and Patient Involvement Team are working with the The South Staffordshire Network for Mental Health to collect S
oft Intelligence - this refers to comments made by people who have something to say and do not want to go down formal channels or have any feedback. It might relate to opening hours of a service or the accessibility of a building, it might even be a suggestion of a new service.
Contact Keri Lawrence, Development Worker for the Network with any Soft Intelligence to pass on.
Patient Engagement Groups
Most GP Practices now have a Patient Group to allow people to have a say in the planning and development of health services commissioned by the PCT.
With more commissioning powers being given to GPs due to the NHS White Paper, it is now the most important time for people with experience of mental health problems to join the Patients Groups and ensure mental health is not forgotten or seen as unimportant.
Please see your GP Practice Manager for more details on your local Patient Group.