VIC DALBERT

Last nights Town Hall meeting of the HCSC concentrated on presentations and reports covering aspects of delivering improved health and treatment facilities in the area of the next decade.

Three presentations: World Class Commissioning, Adult Commissioning Strategy 2008-2023 and Bury’s learning Disability Commission Strategy.

Focused on ways of ensuring improved health outcomes from NHS treatments/diagnostics and care. I won’t bore you with the minutae but ifthe NHS is your thing minutes will shortly be available from the council web site or I will be happy to share the information I have.

I think it’s fair to say there was concern amongst councillors that these aspirational documents would actually come to fruition and that there would be sufficient resources available to bring about the improvements we all want to see locally.

In addition I raised concerns about providing adequate services and meeting the needs of the very elderly in our communities. I said we need to ensure there is real choice for residents between being able to remain in their own home for as long as they can and then modern residential accomodation that meets their aspirations when they choose not to stay in their own home. I stressed the need to progress to providing access to a large section of the population not just the “lucky” few. “It’s no use providing a first class service to few its about numbers”.

There was also a report on Community Access Treatment centres being developed. These aim to bring diagnostic and assessment services nearer people - making services more accessable. One recently opened in Sunnybank. It is hoped that they will able to deliver a growing range of services as they develop.

I took the opportunity to raise concerns about the provision of dental services. In response to a question I was told that they would not be delivering general dentistry services. I think this is a great pity and a missed opportunity.

Any questions etc , please don’t hesitate to get in touch.