Health sub-committee meeting: Intermediate care proposals in doubt

The future of intermediate care in Havering is in doubt.

Plans to permanently establish home-based treatment teams and reduce the number of community rehabilitation units in Havering, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham were agreed by the boroughs’ clinical commissioning groups in December.

But, at Havering’s health overview and scrutiny sub-committee meeting on Thursday night, it was revealed that Redbridge Council’s health scrutiny committee has asked the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, to refer the decision to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

In a report discussed at the meeting, the Havering CCG says: “Redbridge HSC’s decision to write to the Secretary of State may result in a delay to implementation which could have consequences for patients’ care locally.”

The three borough’s CCGs want to permanently establish home-based community treatment teams and intensive rehabilitation services, decrease the number of community rehabilitation beds and locate these all at King George Hospital, in Goodmayes.

The consultation, which ran from July 7 to October 15 2014, found the majority of Havering residents surveyed agreed with each of the proposals.

In Redbridge, 56 per cent of respondents agreed with the CCGs’ preferred option – running home-based services where possible and having one rehabilitation unit at King George, with 40 to 61 beds.

The chairs of the three groups have written to Mr Hunt in response.

See more on the meeting in next week’s Recorder and online.