Healthcare in Gloucestershire is now the responsibility of two Clinical Commissioning Groups covering Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. The health economy of Gloucestershire has always been linked with that of Bristol.
Contents
Health inequality
People living in the most deprived areas of Gloucester - Barton and Tredworth, Matson, Podsmead, Tuffley and Westgate - live almost 14 years less than those in the most affluent areas like Longlevens and Quedgeley.
History
From 1947 to 1974 NHS services in Gloucestershire were managed by the South-West Regional Hospital Board. In 1974 the Boards were abolished and replaced by Regional Health Authorities. Gloucestershire came under the South Western RHA. Regions were reorganised in 1996 and Gloucestershire still came under the South Western Regional Health Authority. From 1974 there was one Area Health Authorities covering the county. From 1982 it was split into two District Health Authorities, Cheltenham and District and Gloucester. There were fourPrimary care trusts established in the county in 2002: South Gloucestershire PCT, West Gloucestershire PCT, Cotswold & Vale PCT, and Cheltenham & Tewkesbury PCT. They were managed by the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic health authority and in 2006 three were merged into Gloucestershire PCT. South Gloucestershire PCT remained a separate organization.
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire formed a sustainability and transformation plan area in March 2016 with Robert Woolley, Chief Executive of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust as its leader. The remainder of Gloucestershire formed a separate area under Mary Hutton the Accountable Officer of Gloucestershire CCG.
Commissioning
The implementation of Transforming Community Services in the county was controversial. The transfer to the community interest company Gloucester Care Services was challenged in the courts by local resident and service user Michael Lloyd on behalf of a well organised campaign, Stroud Against The Cuts, which claimed that social enterprises were a stepping stone to privatisation, allowing the private sector to compete for contracts after only a few years. It was successfully argued in court by David Lock QC that while services could be commissioned from NHS providers without the need for a procurement process, it had been unlawful for them to be transferred to a social enterprise without competition. It was therefore decided to set up a new NHS trust, Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust.
Gloucestershire CCG supports an arts on prescription service, known as Artlift, to prevent chronic conditions from becoming acute. Patients with long term conditions such as depression or chronic pain are referred for 10 weeks of arts activity. The scheme has better completion and attendance rates than other health referral programmes such as exercise schemes.
Service restrictions
In September a survey by the Health Service Journal showed that 34 of 188 CCGs who responded to the survey had restricted access to some services. Restrictions were usually introduced by a number of CCGs acting together across an area. Gloucestershire and Bristol CCGs were proposing restricted access to acupuncture, adenoidectomy and post-operative physiotherapy.
Primary care
There are 26 GP surgeries in South Gloucestershire. Out-of-hours services provided by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust were transferred to Care UK in 2017.
Community Care
Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust is the main provider.
Palliative care is provided by Sue Ryder at Leckhampton Court in Cheltenham, Longfield in Minchinhampton, Great Oaks in Coleford, and Longfield's Hospice in Stroud.
Mental health
2gether NHS Foundation Trust
Hospital provision
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North Bristol NHS Trust provide most of the county's acute care. Specialist stroke services in the county were centralised at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital from summer 2012.