29. North East London
In October 2018, the chief executives of NHS England and NHS Improvement wrote to all STP leaders instructing them to come up with new five year plans by autumn 2019. The new five-year plans will replace those which were drawn-up in 2016 based on the previous five-year funding settlement to 2020-21. The new five year STP will be developed based on a new NHS England budget.
The letter notes that “It will be extremely important that you develop your plans with the proper engagement of all parts of your local systems and that they provide robust and credible solutions for the challenges you will face in caring for your local populations over the next five years.”
NOTE: The information on this page relates to the original STP drawn up in 2016, however much of the information is still relevant and could be part of the new STP.
What concerns have been raised about your STP?
Health planners are trying to reduce NHS deficits and think about ways to re-organise care. However getting the large deficit under control could prevent facilities being developed that can cope with the health and care social needs of local people.
Proposed changes
The A&E department at the King George Hospital will be downgraded to an urgent care centre in Summer 2019.
This will leave the borough of Redbridge without an A&E. Although alternative A&Es are not geographically far away, heavy traffic can mean it takes between half an hour and an hour to reach them.
This area is predicted to see a 50% fall in GP numbers; to cope with this there are plans to recruit physician associates as well as have some of the work load taken up by the 111 phone service and pharmacists. Local GPs fear that this will reduce the standard of care.
Lack of investment and severe cuts
This STP will need an enormous capital investment of £500-£600 million, however it contains few details of where this funding is going to be obtained. GPs, nurses, managers and other staff in the borough of Tower Hamlets have warned that severe cuts will have to take place in services for the required savings to be made.
Changes in who organises our care
There are plans for an Accountable Care System (ACS) in Barking, Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge by April 2018, and City and Hackney CCG will expand its current pilot devolution to an ACS.