Delivering A Healthier Bedfordshire

NHS Bedfordshire, formerly known Bedfordshire Primary Care Trust, is currently developing its plans for local health services over the next five years.

Entitled A Healthier Bedfordshire, the five year strategy will take forward and localise national and regional plans to make the NHS the best it can be. Our NHS, Our Future described the national programme to modernise the NHS. Here in the east of England, Improving Lives, Saving Lives set out 11 measurable pledges to improve health and health services, while Towards the best, together pulled everything together in a 10 year vision for the NHS across the region.

“That vision and those pledges have been widely consulted with NHS staff, our statutory and third sector partners, patients and the wider public. The task for NHS Bedfordshire is to translate this into local actions for local needs,” explains their Chief Executive, Andrew Morgan.

The strategy will set out plans in 11 broad areas for how the NHS in Bedfordshire can deliver a better experience for patients; improve people’s health; and reduce unfairness in health. These broad areas are:

• Health inequalities
• Staying healthy
• Mental health
• Maternity and new born
• Children’s services
• Planned care
• Acute care
• Long term conditions
• End of life care
• Dental services
• Drug users in effective treatment

Andrew added: “A Healthier Bedfordshire is a five year plan and we can’t do everything at once, so we welcome the views of patients and the public on what is most important to them.”

NHS Bedfordshire will be consulting on the strategy in early 2009 to help identify the priorities within the different work areas. There will also be separate consultations on specific significant service changes as the strategy is put into action over the next five years. Any early views and comments are very welcome by email to ahb@bedfordshire.nhs.uk or in writing to AHB, NHS Bedfordshire, Freepost NAT 16245, Bedford MK40 2BR.