Local Development Plan (LDP) Public Statement

Walsall Teaching Primary Care Trust has announced its spending plans for the year commencing 1 April 2007. The tPCT plans to spend £381 million in 2007-08, approximately £1,500 per person, including an investment of £21.5 million in new services after allocating £8.3 million for inflation and £7.5 million for contributions to West Midlands wide priorities. Headline investments include reducing waiting times (£4m), System Reform (£2.6m), Mental Health (£1.8m) and Prescribing (£1.3m).

Paul Jennings, Chief Executive of Walsall Teaching Primary Trust, said:

“Once again the Board of the tPCT has been able to approve a significant programme of new developments, despite the financial challenges facing the NHS over the last 12 months.

“Good management of our budgets in recent years puts us in a good position to continue with our planned investments in improving the health of the people of Walsall.

“In 2006/7 we have a development fund of some £37 million.  Around a 40% of this is needed for West Midlands wide priorities and for inflation costs including cost of living pay increases for staff.

“This still leaves around £21 million to invest.”

The main development areas agreed are described below:

§          £1.8m is to be invested in Mental Health Services.  This will improve staffing in community services and in Bloxwich and Dorothy Pattison hospitals.  It will also boost service levels for children with mental health problems.

§          Primary Care Services benefit to the tune of £1m.  This will improve the range of services provided by local GPs and staff.

§          Around £4.3m will go to improve waiting times for out-patient appointments and for surgery, as well as to maintain short waits for ambulances.  It will also fund expensive packages of care for individuals in their own homes.  The investment in shorter waiting times will enable the local Hospital, Walsall Manor, to ensure that no-one waits more than 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment for routine surgery (with effect from 2008).

§          The tPCT intends to spend approaching £1m on community based Nursing, Physiotherapy and Speech Therapy services, including a boost to service levels for children with disabilities.

§          Learning Disabilities services will receive an additional £1m, to improve community services and fund care for people who are leaving school and require support to live in their own homes.

§          Having agreed a strategy earlier this year for improving care for those approaching the end of their lives, the tPCT plans to invest over £600,000 in improving community palliative care services.  This will provide additional nurses to support terminally ill people in their homes and also increase places available for respite care.

§          Over £1m will be invested in prescribing costs, which increase year on year, largely because of new drugs coming on to the market.

§          The tPCT intends to spend £1m in 2007-08, and half as much again the following year on services which are about promoting health and preventing ill health.  Some of this will be targeted at stopping people smoking – one of the borough’s biggest health challenges.  It will also help improve sexual health services and mental health promotion, support the fight against obesity, particularly in children, enhance the school nursing service and increase the life chances of babies born in Walsall.

§          The tPCT has allocated a further £1m to development of specialised acute care, such as heart and liver surgery.

Paul Jennings added: “We are excited that we are able to invest so much to improve the health of our population, and look forward to this money making a real impact.”