Healthcare in Kent
Healthcare in Kent is now the responsibility of eight Clinical Commissioning Groups: Canterbury and Coastal; Dartford Gravesham and Swanley; Medway; South Kent Coast;Swale; Thanet; West Kent; Ashford.
History
From 1947 to 1965 NHS services in Kent were managed by the South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. In 1974 the Boards were abolished and replaced by Regional Health Authorities. The whole of Kent came under the South East Metropolitan RHA. Regions were reorganised in 1996 and Kent came under the South Thames Regional Health Authority. Kent had an Area Health Authority from 1974 until 1982 when it was divided into five District Authorities: Canterbury and Thanet; Dartford and Gravesham; Maidstone; Medway; South East Kent;Tunbridge Wells. in 1993 these were amalgamated into two - West Kent and East Kent. Regional Health Authorities were reorganised and renamed Strategic Health Authorities in 2002. Kent was under Kent and Medway SHA. In 2006 regions were again reorganised and Kent came under NHS South East Coast until that was abolished in 2013. There were three Primary Care Trusts for the area: NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent; NHS West Kent; NHS Medway.
Primary care
There are 262 GP practices in the county. Community services are provided by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Whitstable is one of the areas selected to pilot Multispecialty community providers, under the Five Year Forward View. [1] Whitstable Medical Practice, with 53,000 patients, is one of the largest in England and is proposing to build a new community hospital and a “teaching nursing home".[2] The practice already has an ambulance response base, a minor injury clinic, a fracture clinic and acommunity pharmacy. It employs 25 consultants, and the local acute trust also rents space for outpatients.[3]
Acute care
The main providers of NHS acute hospital care in the county are East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
Mental health
NHS Mental Health services are provided by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
In December the CCGs, the NHS Trusts, the police and the local councils signed up to the Kent and Medway Mental Health Crisis Concordat whereby they all agreed to: *make early interventions to prevent people reaching crisis point.
- ensure a multi-agency response for people in crisis so needs are met appropriately in a healthcare setting.
- provide a plan that supports the recovery and prevents reoccurrence for those for people who have experienced a crisis.[4]
Healthwatch Kent is an organisation set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to act as a voice for patients.
See also
- Category:Health in Kent
- Healthcare in the United Kingdom
References
- ↑ "NHS chief unveils 29 ‘vanguard’ areas in his new reforms". Independent. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ "New hospital and Aldi planned for Whitstable business park". Canterbury Times. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "GP 'super-practice' care model will 'break commissioning barriers'". Health Service Journal. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "South Kent Coast - care for people in mental health crisis". Dover Express. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.