NHS Lincolnshire
Shaping Health for Louth has resulted in an innovative GP-led model that secured the future of County Hospital (a 72-bed general hospital), improved patient care and brought services closer to patients’ homes.
Local GP leaders, recognising the need to retain the hospital as a hub for healthcare, developed a vision to integrate primary, secondary and social care.
Shaping Health for Louth was designed from the outset around the needs of key local stakeholders, including patients and public, GPs and NHS stakeholders. Running over three years until March 2010 the first stage of the programme was to work with GPs to turn their ideas for the hospital into a clear vision for health services in the area.
This vision then became a detailed commissioning specification for a primary care led hospital with a primary care led A&E replacing a secondary care model.
Following a GP-led public consultation, NHS Lincolnshire worked with the local GPs and community services to refine and fully implement the new service model. A carefully planned phased handover and transfer of staff worked extremely well, with no service issues for patients.
Contact: Audrey Brown, Cluster Manager for East Lindsey on 01522 574186 or audrey.brown@lpct.nhs.uk
