On Friday Suella met with the Fareham Community Hospital Taskforce to discuss plans on improving health services in the Fareham area. This is following the announcement from the chancellor Rishi Sunak that the NHS will get whatever it needs in the face of the Coronavirus outbreak. Discussed at the meeting were the plans put in place for a potential coronavirus response in the Solent region, details on the improvement of services and the implementation of the FCH Future Vision Report.
The Future Vision document can be found here: https://issuu.com/suellabravermanmp/docs/fch_future_vision
Since it was launched, delivering a high quality of care and ensuring the right services are available for patients sits at the heart of what the Taskforce does. Suella wanted patients and practitioners to determine the future direction of healthcare in Fareham and that’s why she launched this consultation as an opportunity for everyone with a stake in FCH to have their say.
At Friday’s Meeting, on the agenda were three strategies for improving healthcare in Fareham. Firstly, the new same-day service, also referred to as Fareham Primary Care Service, which was launched in September 2017 was evaluated. It involves 3 GP practices in the borough – Highlands Practice in Fareham, Jubilee Surgery in Titchfield and Whiteley Surgery – which consistently work together to provide the service.
Additionally, the meeting was updated on new measures that will be delivered at FCH. In particular, Suella is pleased that Portsmouth Hospitals Trust will be providing a renal training hub at FCH to enable patients to access support from medical professionals on their dialysis without having to visit QA. This will save many patients time and money in their travel.
Finally, mental health was raised. Mental health is as important as physical health. Every year, mental health problems will affect one in four people, which is more people than will develop heart disease or cancer. Whether it is depression, dementia, schizophrenia, alcohol or drug related illnesses, mental health problems can have a tragic effect on peoples' lives.
Suella hopes to play a vital role in securing good quality support for people in Fareham, as well as promoting mental health at a national level. She is pleased that we will increase funding for mental health care, boosting funding of children's mental health services by £1.25 billion over the next five years. The Conservatives are also committed to providing more mental health support to women during and after pregnancy, and have pledged to end the practice of using police cells as "places of safety" for those experiencing a mental health crisis by ensuring proper provision of health and community-based places of safety. Following on from her recent speech in Parliament, Suella wishes to create a mental health ‘hub’ in Fareham to aid those suffering and provide a focal point for care in the community.
Commenting, Suella said:
“In the light of the demands and challenges in the local area with young people’s mental health there is a great opportunity here for more funding and more co-ordination so that Fareham Community Hospital can be better harnessed, so that our young people, and also other people who need mental health support, can use the facility and capitalise on it in the most effective way.”
Coronavirus Advice: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public?fbclid=IwAR2oK9jrE5e9xACeRpbpGEWZdgy-4pWrspPo3qOtxQyLFEt7DRSJ-aDIopE
Parliament Mental Health Speech: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-02-04/debates/A3B1554C-FB48-4F9B-A6EA-B78AD05D0E02/NHSFundingBill#contribution-CFFE118E-C439-42A1-8F44-71CA9ECA57E2
