‘Health campus model’ considered to save hospital

The 44-bed Goole and District Hospital is the smallest of the three hospitals run by Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust. It does not deliver a full range of district general hospital services and has no accident and emergency unit.

Alex Seale, the CCG’s director of commissioning and transformation, said the hospital’s “current model isn’t sustainable if you’re looking to the longer term future”.

The CCG noticed a “variable” uptake of services at the site in the past three years, with “some services being used more than others”, a briefing document said.

To ensure the hospital’s sustainability, it has developed a “health campus model”, co-locating non-traditional health services on the site, many of them focused on prevention and improving wellbeing.

“We’ve got a range of public services being delivered out of a range of different buildings. They’re not connected, the services don’t talk to each other, it’s not great use of facilities and space,” Ms Seale added.

The CCG hopes that co-locating services at the centrally-located hospital will attract Goole’s high immigrant population and other hard to reach groups “who don’t tend to go out and seek health services”.

“Goole itself has some really specific health needs. It’s an area that has some of our highest levels of deprivation, Ms Seale said. “You’ve got the full gamut of health challenges out in Goole in terms of higher risk obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse.”

The CCG has been in discussions with Humber Foundation Trust about providing mental health and community services, and Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire Council about the hospital locating services including children’s and social care services, with the possibility of citizen’s advisors on site.

The neighbouring Goole College is also considering basing some its health courses at the hospital.

Ms Seale said some voluntary or private sector services could potentially be delivered in the hospital.

The plans are still in their preliminary stages, but the CCG is the process of appointing a programme manager to lead the project, hopes to launch a public consultation, and expects to produce a detailed plan by the end of the summer.