Need to know
For #TeamEEAST Last updated: 20 April 2024 at 02:48
Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) have featured a lot in the media, with headlines talking about the sharper end of the proposals to run services differently in the coming years.
The plans are for 44 areas - based loosely around county borders - to deliver the NHS Five Year Forward View, in order that the NHS, councils and other healthcare providers and organisations can make it thrive, be sustainable and improve patient care.
What’s happening right now?
Proposals were published by all STP areas late last year and the public are being consulted on them; they aren’t fully-formed plans, but aim to set a direction about the most important priorities in that area and how existing services in the community could be run more effectively.
Meanwhile, trusts and partner organisations are working in the background to figure out what proposals would look like if they came to life, the impact, the changes that would need to happen, and also run the engagement side of things too.
A lot of proposals centre on hospital service delivery, and the media headlines tend to be about proposals to reduce the number of A&Es and run more hospitals that are community-focused. For us, the impact of proposals to change urgent and emergency care pathways and services delivered are not insurmountable, but commissioners might need to change the current way they procure and pay for services like ours.
Where you can find information at EEAST
You have a single point of information for all of our six STP footprints here on East24, where we’ve been capturing all of the proposals, newsletters, invitations to surveys, and so on. The managers of the six STP areas – Steve Segasby, Terry Hicks, Alan Whitehead, Simon King, Gary Baines and Glenn Young – are also providing more localised briefings where they can, and can be contacted by staff and volunteers for access to information and to answer questions.
What can you do?
At this stage of public consultation, it’s really important our staff and volunteers are clear about what is being proposed by all six areas, but also that you have your say in the area you live or work in.
Your perspective on the emergency and urgent care aspects of each STP plan will be vital, but also the social and primary care aspects as well.
You might be at the stage where you’re not taking much notice of STP talk, or you might have lots of concerns, questions, and ideas. We wouldn’t want to bombard staff and volunteers with information that isn’t going to feel relevant, but we hope that the information currently being updated will provide something tangible.
Communications colleagues are also linked in with peers for each footprint to settle the engagement and communications plans, and we’ll promote opportunities for feedback wherever possible. They will be updating East24 as frequently as possible, and please look up for regular updates here on Need to Know when you can.
Want to know more?
Have a look at the sustainability and transformation plans for our region:
Published 16th March, 2017