Over 40 residents attended their local health commissioner’s Big Chat event to have their say about the latest health plans for the area. 

NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) held its eighth event at Holy Trinity Church in Formby on Tuesday 20 June.  

The CCG team gave updates on topics covered at previous Big Chats, so attendees could hear how their views had fed in to schemes and services including the organisation’s transformation programme, Shaping Sefton, its repeat prescription ordering scheme, Care at the Chemist and its recent review of community services.

New community services provider, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust introduced itself to Southport and Formby residents with a presentation focusing on what local people and patients can expect from the trust in the future to improve their care. Lancashire Care took over the running of these services on 1 May 2017.

Looking to the future, a series of table based discussions explored people’s thoughts about some new ideas to make services more efficient and effective. Guests heard from chief finance officer, Martin McDowell about the financial challenges that the CCG faces and how it plans to balance the books amidst ever tightening budgetary constraints faced by the CCG and the wider NHS.

Residents were surprised to hear how much certain treatments cost the NHS per patient from an MRI scan of their brain at £188 to a liver transplant at £35,000. The aim was to get people thinking about the cost of healthcare and the difficult choices the CCG has to make when planning spend for the financial year ahead.

Dr Rob Caudwell, chair at the CCG, said: “The event was an opportunity for us to tell people how some of the schemes that we have rolled out this year have improved people’s quality of care as well as ensuring we are being more cost effective.  

“At our Big Chat last year we asked for people’s views on those schemes, like the repeat prescription ordering scheme so it was good to give people the results of that and show the potential savings so far along with the feedback from patients. Big Chats are worthwhile events and we really do value people’s opinions so we would welcome you to come along.” 

The CCG will hold its ‘annual review meets Big Chat’ event on Tuesday 12 September 2017 and more information will be available on its website nearer the time. People can register their interest by emailing southportandformby.ccg@nhs.net or calling 0151 247 7000. 

Neighbouring NHS South Sefton CCG will be holding its Big Chat event on 11 July 2017 at Bootle Cricket Club on Wadham Road in Bootle.  

You can view the presentations from the event and see a photo gallery by visiting the 'get involved' webpages.