Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health
The NHS faces the dual challenge of growing demand and a shrinking workforce, but there are opportunities to plan around this changing environment.
Overview
Better connectivity, quality assurance and use of existing technology could help people take more responsibility for their care. These could also enable clinicians to deliver a wider range of services in new locations. One robust use of community investment outside acute hospitals would be to develop new facilities and services in local care centres. Commissioning a Patient Led NHS and the new White Paper, "Our health, our care, our say - a new direction for community services" (30 January 2006) have added to the renewed interest in investing in local health services. The White Paper describes "a new generation of community hospitals, to provide a wider range of health and social care services in a community setting".
On 5 July 2006, the Department of Health published "Our health, our care, our community - investing in the future of community hospitals and services". This report outlines the investment of £750 million in community hospital schemes over the next five years.
Community hospitals and local care centres are a valuable resource for people who live around them. Local health facilities are convenient and save staff and patients time and travel costs. Integrating health and social services in these facilities may reduce costs and encourage closer working between health and local government organisations.
Communities are passionate about their local hospitals, and campaign groups form quickly whenever a change is proposed. This strength of feeling could be harnessed to involve the public more fully in the planning and running of community health and social care facilities.
New buildings need to be designed to adapt and take on new functions. Out of hospital care will change rapidly over the next decade so flexibility is key to sustainable investment.
Cafes, restaurants and art displays enhance the hospital and give the buildings an alternative use. In some places, people come to eat in a community hospital even though they are no longer patients there. Patient libraries and spaces for voluntary organisations provide support to those with chronic diseases, and Citizen's Advice Bureaux further broaden the use of the centre.
Buildings procured through LIFT have the potential to improve the lives of people in surrounding neighbourhoods. Many are being planned as "one-stop shops" containing health and social care services, pharmacies, registry offices, and in at least one case, a leisure centre.
FHN worked with healthcare organisations to share design and service planning ideas on community health facilities.
As FHN is now closed these [pages will no longer be updated.
