Healthcare in Norfolk
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Healthcare in Norfolk is now the responsibility of four Clinical Commissioning Groups: Great Yarmouth and Waveney CCG, North Norfolk CCG, Norwich CCG and South Norfolk CCG
Contents
History
From 1947 to 1965 NHS services in Norfolk were managed by the East Anglian Regional Hospital Boards. In 1974 the Boards were abolished and replaced by Regional Health Authorities. Norfolk came under the East Anglian RHA. There was a Norfolk Area Health Authority from 1974 until 1982. There were three District Authorities: Great Yarmouth and Waveney, West Norfolk and Wisbech and Norwich created in 1982. In 1993 these were reorganised North West Anglia (which included a part of Cambridgeshire), Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Waveney. Regional Health Authorities were reorganised and renamed Strategic Health Authorities in 2002. Norfolk was under the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA. In 2006 regions were again reorganised and Norfolk came under NHS East of England until that was abolished in 2013. There were two Primary Care Trusts for the county: Norfolk and Great Yarmouth and Waveney.
Waveney has always been included with Norfolk as far as the administration of the NHS is concerned.
Norfolk and Waveney formed a sustainability and transformation plan area in March 2016. [1]
Commissioning
North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning group launched a campaign to reduce the annual £400,000 spent on prescriptions for paracetamol and ibuprofen in November 2015 saying patients could buy their own in shops for less than half the price it costs the NHS to prescribe them.[2]
Alex Stewart, chairman of Healthwatch Norfolk, questioned why Norfolk needed 5 CCGs, each with its own board and managers in January 2016, suggesting money could be saved with fewer.[3]
Primary care
There are 92 GP practices in the county (including Waveney). Out-of-hours services are provided by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The Vida Healthcare group of practices runs the largest practice in Norfolk, and has a Personal Medical Services contract. It is proposed to cut this funding by £250,000 over four years from 2016 to 2020. The Patient Participation Group is angry that they have not been consulted about this and is considering the possibility of legal action against NHS England.[4]
Acute care
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the main provider. Its A&E department is the busiest in the east of England.[5]
Ambulance services are provided by the East of England Ambulance Service.
Mental health
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is the main NHS provider. The CCGs were criticised in 2016 by Norman Lamb and Clive Lewis MP for spending £155,000 on increased pay for their staff between 2104 and 2015 but refusing to continue funding of the Norwich and Central Norfolk Mind mental health helpline which would cost £120,000 and is to close in March 2016. The CCGs said most of their staff pay was decided nationally.[6]
Community services
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
HealthWatch
Healthwatch is an organisation set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to act as a voice for patients.
See also
References
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