Nurses urged to become clinical entrepreneurs to improve care

NHS North West launched its plans for the government’s national Transforming Community Services programme earlier this month in what the strategic health authority describes as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for clinical staff, especially nurses, to develop ‘new and innovative’ ways of working.

The government’s Transforming Community Services programme requires the NHS to restructure primary and community services. This includes the government’s policy to split PCTs into purchaser and provider branches.

Speaking to Nursing Times, Alison Tonge, the SHA’s director of health system development, said nurses were being encouraged to help redesign care along seven pathways.

These are the six care groups outlined in DH guidance on Transforming Community Services – children and families, end-of-life care, health and well-being, rehabilitation, long-term conditions, acute care – plus mental health.

‘We are encouraging clinicians to get on board with this. We are also keen to promote and nurture the establishment of social enterprises among our frontline staff,’ she said.

Ms Tonge said that clinical staff would be encouraged to come up with new and innovative service structures designed to improve patients’ health outcomes within the community setting.

By October 2009 the 24 PCTs across the North West will be required to have developed detailed plans to transform community services, which are best suited to local needs and circumstances.

As Nursing Times revealed earlier this month, there are currently few nurses leading social enterprises and they are often put off from doing so by negative attitudes among colleagues and a lack of support within the profession.

Unison also warned that plans for PCTs to engage with wider service providers could lead to ‘patient pandemonium’.

‘There is a very real danger that patients will find it not only confusing, but also harder to access the whole healthcare package they need,’ said Unison’s head of health Karen Jennings.

Related article: Primary care blog: Harsh reality behind communityservices rhetoric

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