Medical practice and related services

Tender description

Worcestershire has a tradition of Community Hospitals based in its major towns distant from those with General Hospital provision. The Princess of Wales Community Hospital, Bromsgrove, was built when the General Hospital facilities in NE Worcestershire moved to Redditch and the subsequent changes to service provision in and around Kidderminster. The Community Hospital is highly valued and supported by its local population and enjoys strong ties to local General Practice and the broader Primary Care community. Community Hospital intermediate care beds are based in Bromsgrove. They provide skilled nursing care and treatment 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Medical Care may be provided by Consultant Physicians, supported on site during the week by Staff Grade Doctors or by GPs who provide medical assessment and treatment predominantly to local patients. Out-of-hours medical cover is provided by the Out-of-Hours Primary Care Provider. Community Hospital Intermediate Care in-patient beds provide part of a locality resource to support local health services to provide admission prevention and rehabilitation to adults outside of acute hospital settings. The beds should be considered within the context of step-up services to support people with complex long-term conditions to remain living within their own homes and step-down from acute hospital treatment into a transitional nursing and therapy service to improve function and independence prior to transfer to Community Intermediate Care treatment at home The hospital is complemented by physiotherapy and occupational therapy placed to support the needs of patients requiring rehabilitation following illness or trauma that has reduced their ability to live independently. The in-patient stay should be considered as a transitional arrangement until the patient is able to function sufficiently to be able to benefit from rehabilitation within a Community (home) based service. A further cohort of patients benefits greatly from the local environment and familiarity of local services that Community Hospitals are able to offer. Patients becoming increasingly frail and dependent as a result of their illness require expert nursing and social worker assessment to determine their best place of long-term care. All of these services work to achieve outstanding care through a reliance upon maintaining strong links to local primary care services of which the close working arrangement with local GP practices is of paramount importance. This opportunity is to provide the current in hours medical care delivered by local primary care GPs.