Changes proposed to hospital vascular services

Patients and the public are being asked for their views on proposed changes to the way specialist vascular services are provided at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust.

Vascular services are changing nationally and the proposals for Merseyside and Cheshire aim to save more lives and improve the quality of life for patients following treatment.

These services are for people with disorders of the arteries and veins, including narrowing of arteries, blocked vessels and varicose veins – but not diseases of the heart and vessels in the chest.

Treating vascular disease well is not easy. Research shows that the chances of survival and improved quality of life after the treatment of arterial diseases are greatest when patients are treated by a highly trained specialist team, working in a large centre to which many patients are referred.

In addition, some hospitals are unable to offer a comprehensive round-the-clock service – for example, specialist consultant support or the interventional radiology techniques which can help surgeons save limbs and organs.

A number of hospitals carry out vascular surgery but one-in-five cases are so complex they would be best carried out at a specialist unit.

This means that specialist surgery needs concentrating in fewer centres – something widely agreed upon during thorough engagement with a range of stakeholders last year.

Mr David Jones, Consultant Vascular Surgeon at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, said: “Earlier engagement with the public, patients and clinicians overwhelmingly supported the approach to concentrate the specialist surgery in order to improve patient safety – even if this meant specialist surgery was not carried out at their local hospital.”

Medical Director Dr Geraldine Boocock added: “Changing the way we provide vascular services will save more lives and improve the quality of life after treatment. We are thoroughly supportive of these proposals which retain day cases, follow-up and rehabilitative care within the Trust.”

The Clinical Commissioning Groups, made up of GPs who commission services for their patients, also agreed there should be two specialist vascular centres.

It is proposed that one specialist centre is at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, working with hospitals north of the River Mersey, and one at the Countess of Chester Hospital, working with those south of the river.

A series of public events is being held to ensure north Sefton and West Lancashire patients can debate the proposals fully. They include:

Aintree Racecourse, Ormskirk Road, Aintree, L9 5AS – Friday 24th February
Reflections Gallery, The World of Glass, Chalon Way East, St Helens, WA10 1BX – Wednesday 28th March

The events will run from 10am to 2pm with registration from 9.30am.

Further information is available at a www.vascularconsultation.org.uk where people can find all the information as well as submit their views.

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I think we should be very careful about anymore services being removed from Sefton to outside hospitals. We have already lost midwifery, children's, and children's emergency services to ormskirk and alder hey.
It makes me wonder if the long term plan is to close southport altogether.
I do understand that we need to have the best possible treatments available, but is this going to be less available to the southport residents.
The creation of foundation hospitals and specialist units appears to tie in very nice with the Tory concept of privitasation.this of course attracts the money makers. It does not go unnoticed that they don't want to take over the long term sick I.e. stroke and dementia patients. The eagerness seems to be the fast turnover patients, enabling them to make quick profits.
Many of our clinics and departments rebuilding programmes have been funded from the private sector, so they already have a foot in the door.
My major concern is that we ensure that we have the finances to maintain long term care for our more high dependant patients.
I will be putting my thoughts and concerns to this proposal to the appropriate bodies