NHS England might ask Cornwall Council to take over the management of a clinical commissioning group (CCG), a damning report published today has revealed.
The Care Quality Comission (CQC) has rated The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, which serves at least 500,000 people, as ‘inadequate’ and put it into special measures.
A separate CQC review called on council leaders, Kernow CCG and local GPs to work together to ensure the adequate delivery of services after it found that Cornwall’s health and social care system was ‘not working well together’.
Only children’s services and critical care at the hospital trust were given ‘good’ ratings, with surgery, maternity and gynaecology, end of life care, outpatients and diagnostic imaging rated as ‘inadequate’.
Chief inspector of primary care services, Steve Field, said: ‘Our review has identified that the health and social care system in Cornwall is not working well together.
'The experience for patients who need to leave hospital but require ongoing care is poor.
‘Partnership working may be better than it has been in the past, but we have found there is little confidence that improvements will be made.’
NSH England is now considering combining Kernow CCG and Cornwall Council’s commissioning functions to tackle delayed transfers of care and managing the funding available for social care.
Other recommendations include asking the council and CCG to jointly fund a director of adult social services and health integration.
Joint regional director for the South West at NHS England, Jennifer Howells, said: ‘As the CQC has pointed out, fragmentation and lack of cohesion have hindered progress in Cornwall.
‘Now is the time for everyone in Cornwall’s NHS and social care system to step up to these real challenges.’
