South Central consults on redesign for stroke, vascular and trauma care

Under proposals published by the South Central strategic health authority, services would be concentrated into centres of expertise. Consultation on the plans, which will redesign care pathways for many patients in the region, began at the end of August and is to run for six weeks.

Vascular services are planned to be taken out of Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth. Portsmouth patients would have to travel to Southampton, which the strategy says would increase surgeons’ expertise and improve services for patients.

That plan has already proved controversial. Portsmouth’s overview and scrutiny panel has objected, and asked the SHA to consider retaining some elective vascular surgery in Portsmouth. The panel also proposed that the hospital could provide vascular services across Portsmouth and Chichester, depending on the outcome of a review by the South East Coast SHA.

In the north of the region, John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford would provide emergency and complex inpatient vascular surgery, although Wycombe hospital would provide vascular treatment for stroke patients in Buckinghamshire.

Day cases and diagnostic services would be provided in the Royal Berkshire, Wycombe General and Wexham Park hospitals.

The SHA proposes that Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey provide emergency and elective complex inpatient vascular services for Basingstoke and North Hampshire patients. North Hampshire and Basingstoke hospital would retain vascular teams for daycases and diagnostics.

Southampton General Hospital would house the major trauma centre for Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, while John Radcliffe Hospital would provide similar services covering Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

Hyper acute services for the region would be provided across seven centres: Southampton; St Mary’s in the Isle of Wight; Queen Alexandra; the Royal Berkshire; Wycombe; John Radcliffe; and Frimley Park in Surrey.