Ceremony Marks Historic Handover of East Riding Community Services

A ceremony to mark achievements in community health care in the East Riding took place on April 7 2011 as NHS East Riding of Yorkshire officially hands over the East Riding’s community services to Humber NHS Foundation Trust (FT).

Karen Knapton, Chairman of NHS East Riding of Yorkshire, will perform the official handover to Humber NHS FT, accompanied by community services staff past and present.

Under Transforming Community Services (TCS), all primary care trusts had to separate their commissioning functions from the community services they provided. Humber NHS FT now manages a range of community health care services including neighbourhood care teams, community hospitals, health centres, health visiting, school nurses, therapies, specialist nursing and out of hours services.

Since the establishment of East Riding of Yorkshire PCT in 2006 some key developments and achievements in community services have included:

•    eight neighbourhood care teams established with nurses, therapists, rehabilitation and social care staff working together to meet the health needs of thousands of patients in the East Riding.

•    new health centres opened in Beverley, Hessle, Brough and Goole

•    a new £19 million Community Hospital for the East Riding based in Beverley under construction, to welcome its first patients in 2012.

•    Wolds View GP Access Centre opened in Bridlington

•    investment in new technology to help community nurses remotely monitor patients vital signs such as blood pressure, weight, pulse rate and blood oxygen – providing reassurance of daily monitoring from their own homes.

•    £1 million refurbishment and new day hospital for Driffield Alfred Bean Hospital

•    excellent Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) assessments for community hospitals

•    recognition from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as a ‘best performer’ for services to support stroke patients and their carers.

•    pioneering work in falls prevention

•    community hospitals in the East Riding being the first in the UK to adopt SystmOne technology to allow more effective patient record management, from GP referral through to inpatient and outpatient care to discharge into the community.

Karen Knapton said:
“Since 2006, our Community Services Strategy has focused on bringing services closer to home, and working in new ways to improve health care in our rural communities.

“I am extremely proud of the high standard of community nursing and therapy care in the East Riding. Community health care staff, working closely with GPs and social care staff, have helped improve the quality of life for people with long term conditions and supported them to live more independently.

“Community hospitals in the East Riding have consistently scored highly under the PEAT assessment. This is a real credit to the staff who ensure that the environment in our five community hospitals is safe, clean and comfortable for patients.

“Prior to the handover, NHS East Riding of Yorkshire Community Services had met all Care Quality Commission registration requirements, which put the service on very firm footing for the future. We look forward to continuing our close working relationship with them and I wish staff all the very best for their move to Humber NHS FT.”

Dinah Fuller, Assistant Director, Clinical Services, said:

“On behalf of all staff in Community Services I would like to thank NHS East Riding of Yorkshire for their guidance and support and encouragement throughout this journey. We are delighted to be joining Humber NHS Foundation Trust, we can see many exciting opportunities to work together and strengthen our ability to provide proactive and timely community based support to the residents of East Riding.”

Humber NHS FT Chairman Jane Fenwick said:

“We are delighted to be taking on such high performing services to complement the high quality mental health care already delivered in the East Riding. Both organisations have a real commitment to improving patient care and working closely together particularly in regard to elderly care.”