Healthcare in Liverpool

Healthcare in Liverpool reflects the unique historical legacy of the port. Liverpool has been recognised as an unhealthy place to live since the nineteenth century. The city had five of the most deprived areas in the country in 2012 according to a Church Urban Fund report.[1] According to Joe Anderson "The people in Calderstones, Woolton and Childwall outlive the people in other areas of Liverpool, like parts of north Liverpool, by 10 to 12 years or so." [2]

History

Liverpool's Health of the Town Committee appointed Thomas Fresh as 'Inspector of Nuisances' on 4 September 1844 The city appointed its first Medical Officer of Health, William Henry Duncan, in 1847.[3][4] In 1851, a boy born in inner Liverpool had a life expectancy of only 26 years[5]

Management structures

Liverpool has had unstable administrative arrangements with the North West region, and in particular with Manchester since the establishment of the NHS. In 1946 drawing the boundary between the Liverpool and Manchester Regional Hospital Boards proved to be particularly difficult because of "the jealousy felt by Liverpool for Manchester and the reluctance of Preston to consider any scheme centred on Liverpool or Manchester." [6]

NHS North West was established as a strategic health authority in 2006. It had oversight of 24 Primary Care Trusts, 23 acute NHS trusts, 8 mental health trusts, 7 specialist trusts, as well as the North West Ambulance Service. In October 2011 NHS North West, alongside NHS Yorkshire and Humberside and NHS North East became a part of the NHS North of England SHA cluster - a temporary administrative merger to manage the North of England health economy until the planned dissolution of SHAs in March 2013. The authority closed on 31 March 2013 as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Reconfiguration

Liverpool is unusual in having a number of small specialist NHS trusts. In October 2014 plans were unveiled in the Healthy Liverpool programme, approved by Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group and supported by the City Council which would concentrate services, especially for cancer patients and major trauma at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.[7] The proposals, which will be subject to public consultation, include:

Dr Fazlani, Chair of the CCG said “If we reduced emergency admissions to hospitals by just 11% we would be able to afford an extra one and a half GPs in every practice in the city. This is the virtuous circle we are aiming to create".[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Liverpool has five of the most deprived areas in the country as report claims England is one of most unequal countries in Western world". Daily Mail. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Your Q&A with Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson on the future of the city's green spaces: Part II". Liverpool Echo. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Halliday, S. (2003). "Duncan of Liverpool: Britain's first Medical Officer". Journal of Medical Biography 11 (3): 142–149. PMID 12870037.
  4. ↑ Ashton, John R. (2004). "Aphorism of the Month: "The following is my entire establishment… your servant, William Henry Duncan"". Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 35 (16): 5625–5633. PMC 1732861.
  5. ↑ Daunton, Martin (11 April 2004). "London's 'Great Stink' and Victorian Urban Planning". BBC History. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Webster, Charles (1988). The Health Services Since the War. London: HMSO. p. 268. ISBN 0116309423.
  7. ↑ "Liverpool reconfiguration plans unveiled". Health Service Journal. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "New Healthcare Vision for Liverpool is unveiled". BayTV Liverpool. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.