West Cornwall MP Derek Thomas has welcomed the announcement of a review of healthcare provision in Cornwall which is being carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The CQC say that they have identified “widespread issues” within the system which include “sustained challenges” faced by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) surrounding the emergency department, urgent and emergency care, delayed transfers of care, and challenges with community and adult social care provision.
Tom Coales, from the CQC, said: “Information and data gathered so far has led us to focus on the issue of delayed discharge from hospital, to explore effectiveness of partnership working across the system.
“We are currently meeting with local health and care stakeholders to discuss the effectiveness of how services and other agencies work in partnership to support service development and joined-up care in Cornwall.
“We are looking at what is working well and what is not; where the obstacles to improvement lie; what the system collectively and different elements could do differently to tackle the problem of delayed transfers of care; and what support is needed to support improvement.”
Mr Thomas says that such a review is long overdue and believes it will shed light on shortcomings in the way that Cornwall Council, which is responsible for the county’s Adult Social Care budget, engages with the providers of services.
“I’ve been meeting with providers on a quarterly basis taking up their concerns and am aware that in many cases vulnerable people are not receiving the care and support that they deserve from council managers,” he said.
“All the Cornish MPs will be contributing to the process and they will work to ensure providers are able to share their experiences with the Commission.
“The report should enable the CQC to identify system-wide issues and give them the information they need to encourage authorities to make improvements in the quality of service.”