People living in Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield are being invited to share their thoughts on proposals to change our region’s children’s surgery and anaesthesia services.

The proposals, incorporating public feedback, have been developed in partnership with the region’s eight NHS clinical commissioning groups, hospital Trusts and NHS England to improve services across South and Mid Yorkshire, Bassetlaw and North Derbyshire.

Depending on where you live and at what time you go hospital, some patients have better experiences and access to services than others – and doctors, nurses and healthcare experts all agreed that this shouldn’t happen – and have come together to change it.

Dr Tim Moorhead, GP, clinical chair and advisor to Commissioners Working Together, said: 

“Over the last eighteen months we have been reviewing our children’s surgery and anaesthesia services and are now proposing changes to make sure all children in our region are able to get the best possible and safest care they deserve should they need an operation in one of our local hospitals.

 “For most services, most of the time, nothing will change but for a small number of unplanned operations, at night, at weekends or when children need to stay overnight in hospital, we are proposing they are done differently.

“Across the region, there is only a small number of children needing operations for the services we’re proposing to change, which means our staff aren’t being used in the best way, which, combined with a national shortage of expert staff who are qualified to operate on children, means that in the future, your child may not have access to the high quality care they need.”

Dr Des Breen, consultant anaesthetist and medical director for the Working Together programme, said:

“If we use our services and staff in a different way, we will be able to care for children in a consistent way - whilst maintaining the high standards of care we expect to provide.

 “For some people, this may mean you will need to travel further than your local hospital for the services we’re proposing to change but it will also mean your child will receive consistently high quality and safe care in the future - with your child being treated by the right people, in the right place and at the right time.”

Between Monday 3 October 2016 and Friday 20 January 2017, members of the public are invited to share their views on the three proposed options for the future of these services – with a final decision expected to be made by clinical commissioners in February.

The new proposals will affect around 1 in every 10 children needing an operation across South and Mid Yorkshire, Bassetlaw and North Derbyshire. Children would still have ‘day case’ operations (where they do not stay overnight in hospital) at all local hospitals. Very specialist services, for children with very complex conditions, will also remain the same with children from across the region being treated at Sheffield Children’s Hospital as the only specialist centre in our region – as they are now.

Public meetings to discuss the proposals will be held in all areas over the coming months.

Visit the consultation website www.smybndccgs.nhs.uk or call 0114 305 4487 for more information.