Minister of State for Health backs new Partnership Trust’s aim for personalised healthcare

Published by Russ Cockburn for Danks Cockburn Public Relations Ltd in Health and also in Bill Payments, Central Government, Communities, Local Government

More than 1.1 million people across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent will benefit from a new NHS organisation focused on providing personalised healthcare to patients in their home or close to home, avoiding hospital admissions and supporting them to remain independent.

Speaking in front of 150 guests at the launch of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership NHS Trust, Chairman Dr Nigel Ratcliffe outlined the organisation’s vision for delivering healthcare in a way that helps individuals to live at home and maintain their daily routine.

He insisted that closer involvement with local people and giving them a greater voice will ensure the highest quality of service is provided across the Trust’s five community hospitals, its clinics and nursing homes, in prisons and, importantly in patient’s home.

There was particular emphasis on supporting programmes, such as ‘Healthy Kid 5’ (offering support to young people to help them achieve and maintain a healthy weight) and the Tissue Viability service, which assists patients with managing acute or chronic wounds, as well as preventing pressure damage.

Minister of State for Health, Simon Burns MP, who visited Stoke-on-Trent to officially announce the launch of the new Partnership NHS Trust, echoed these plans:

“People across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent can live more independently thanks to the new Partnership NHS Trust. The Partnership Trust is working with patients to prevent them becoming ill, supporting them to make lifestyle changes and providing services which help them remain independent.”

The Partnership Trust is one of the largest in England and serves a population of 1.1 million people across rural areas and urban centres of Staffordshire including Burton upon Trent, Cannock, Lichfield, Leek, Stafford, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth, Uttoxeter and Wombourne.

More than 5000 expert staff within the Partnership Trust deliver services ranging from district nursing, health visiting, nutrition and dietetics to occupational and physiotherapy therapy, school nursing and speech and language therapy. 

Patients will also benefit from a focus on pain management services, continence advice, community stroke services and the management of long-term conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes or lung disease.

Dr Nigel Ratcliffe, Chairman of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership NHS Trust, said:

“We know that we provide the vast majority of our care to people at the most crucial point in their lives, in very vulnerable situations.  We want to ensure that people are not on waiting lists for unacceptable periods of time; that services when they are delivered are safe and most importantly that the patients and recipients of our care are treated with respect and dignity at all times.

He continued: “People don’t want to be passed around like a parcel to different parts of the health and social care system and they want to be involved in decisions about the care they receive and influence the way services are planned and designed. Soon, we will be launching a membership scheme, which will provide a genuine way of ensuring that the public influence change.” 

Cllr Matthew Ellis, County Councillor and Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing at Staffordshire County Council, also presented on the evening.

He spoke in detail about innovative plans to provide a single integrated approach to delivering both health and social care through the NHS Partnership Trust and the united desire for it to become a best practice model for other areas in England to follow.

For further information on the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Trust, please visit www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk