NHS bosses say the health service in Staffordshire needs to move away from bed-based care to ensure it is sustainable in the future.
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s controversial Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) recommends that dozens of community hospital beds remain closed, to help plug a projected £542 million funding gap.
Senior officials responsible for the STP appeared before city councillors on Monday to explain the reasoning behind the plan.
They told members of the adults and neighbourhoods overview and scrutiny committee that a major ‘culture change’ was required across the health system, in order to make it fit for the future.
A large part of this will involve the creation of around 23 locality-based multi-disciplinary teams, who will work in the community and provide care aimed at keeping patients out of hospital.