Healthcare in Bristol

Healthcare in Bristol is now the responsibility of Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group.

History

From 1947 to 1974, NHS services in Bristol were managed by the South-Western Regional Hospital Board. In 1974 the Boards were abolished and replaced by Regional Health Authorities, with Bristol coming under the South Western RHA. Regions were reorganised in 1996 and Bristol came under the South and West (Wessex and South Western) Regional Health Authority. Bristol from 1974 was under Avon Area health authority divided into three District health authorities: Bristol and Weston, Southmead and Frenchay. This continued until 1993 when the three authorities were combined into Avon DHA, and Area Health Authorities were abolished. One Primary Care Trust was established covering the whole county in 2002, and was managed by the South West Strategic health authority from 2002 until 2013.

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire formed a sustainability and transformation plan area in March 2016, with Robert Woolley, Chief Executive of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, as its leader.^[1]

Commissioning

Bristol Clinical commissioning group took on the responsibilities of the former PCT on 1 April 2013.

Service restrictions

In September a survey by the Health Service Journal showed that 34 of 188 CCGs who responded to the survey had restricted access to some services. Restrictions were usually introduced by a number of CCGs acting together across an area. Gloucestershire and Bristol CCGs were proposing restricted access to acupuncture, adenoidectomy and post-operative physiotherapy.^[2]

NHS Trusts

1. North Bristol NHS Trust
2. University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
3. Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

NHS hospitals

1. Southmead Hospital A+E
2. Bristol Royal Infirmary A+E
3. Frenchay Hospital
4. South Bristol Community Hospital
5. Cossham Memorial Hospital
6. Bristol Royal Hospital for Children A+E
7. St. Michael's Hospital
8. Bristol Eye Hospital A+E (daytime every day, eye only)^[3]
9. University of Bristol Dental Hospital^[4]
10. Blackberry Hill Hospital
11. Callington Road Hospital

From April to December 2014 Frenchay Hospital is being progressively closed, with the majority of services moving to a new building at Southmead Hospital. Accident and Emergency was transferred on 19 May 2014. A few services relating to brain and head injuries will remain at the site after December 2014.^[5][6][7]

NHS Blood and Transplant

The Organ Donation and Transplantation Directorate of NHS Blood and Transplant is based in Stoke Gifford, Bristol.

Private Hospitals

• Spire Bristol Hospital^[8]

Primary Care

There are 55 GP practices in the county. Out-of-hours services are provided by Brisdoc.

Community Care

In August 2015 North Bristol NHS Trust announced that they were not bidding for the contract to continue providing their current Children’s Community Health Partnership services which they won on 2009 because of the “non-core nature of the service”, a “lack of management capacity” and “financial pressure”.^[9]

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust won a contract to provide childrens community services in Bristol and South Gloucestershire in October 2015 in conjunction with Sirona Care & Health and Bristol Community Health.^[10]

Healthwatch

Healthwatch Bristol is an organisation set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to act as a voice for patients.

Mental Health

Adult services

There was long-standing unhappiness with mental health services in Bristol delivered by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP), which was accused of being "centralist, top-down, target driven, bureaucratic and controlling" instead of putting patients first. The CCG have recommissioned services under the Bristol Mental Health brand. Bristol Mental Health is a consortium led by Avon and Wiltshire, working in partnership with nine third sector providers: Second Step; Missing Link; Off the Record (charity) Bristol; the Nilaari Agency; Stand Against Racisim and Inequality; Knowle West Health Park; Wellspring Healthy Living Centre; Southmead Development Trust; and Brunelcare.^[11][12]

There are seven service bundles. The CCG has a contract with each provider for each service bundle:

• community mental health services;
• community rehabilitation services;
• dementia wellbeing service;
• mental health employment service;
• assertive engagement service for people living chaotic lives;
• Bristol Sanctuary for people in severe emotional distress or early crisis; and
• community access service for harder to reach communities.

Bristol Mental Health commenced operation in October 2014.^[13]

Child services

Children’s community services are jointly commissioned by clinical commissioning groups and local authorities. Bristol and South Gloucestershire jointly commission services for both areas, including community child health and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.^[14]

The North Bristol NHS Trust, in partnership with the Barnardo's charity, has provided the service since March 2009. In 2015 the North Bristol NHS Trust announced that it would not continue the contract beyond March 2016, in order to focus on "acute and hospital based care".^[14]

Major Service Locations For Mental Health In Bristol

• Callington Road Hospital
• Blackberry Hill Hospital
• Southmead Hospital
• Petherton Resource Centre
• Brookland Hall
• Greenway Centre

Closed Hospitals

On 7 January 2013 the Bristol Homeopathic Hospital, founded in 1852 but with a history as a dispensary dating back to 1832,^[15] moved operations from its own building, Cotham House,^[16] to the South Bristol Community Hospital.^[17] In-patient services had been provided at Cotham House until 1986, when they were moved to the Bristol Eye Hospital, with out-patients continuing at Cotham House.^[16][17]

Bristol General Hospital closed in early April 2012, with services moved to Bristol Royal Infirmary and the newly opened South Bristol Community Hospital.

Until the changes brought in by the Care in the Community policy in the 1980s, the Bristol area had a number of hospitals for the mentally ill and handicapped (the terminology used at that time), including Barrow Hospital, Brentry Hospital, Glenside Hospital, Hortham Hospital and Stoke Park Hospital.

Manor Park Hospital was the major geriatric hospital in South West England. In 1993 it merged with the residual mental health activities from the closing of Glenside Hospital, forming Blackberry Hill Hospital. Geriatric services were closed here in 2005, mainly leaving AWP operated mental health services at Blackberry Hill Hospital.

Brislington House (now known as Long Fox Manor) was built as a private lunatic asylum for the insane. When it opened in 1806 it was one of the first purpose built asylums in England.^[18][19][20] It is situated on the Bath Road in Brislington, although parts of the grounds cross the city boundary into the parish of Keynsham in Bath and North East Somerset. The Palladian fronted building was originally seven separate blocks into which patients were allocated depending on their class. The buildings, estate and therapeutic regime designed by Edward Long Fox was based on the principles of moral treatment which was fashionable at the time. Brislington House later influenced the design and construction of other asylums and influenced Acts of parliament. The house and ancillary structures are listed buildings which have now been converted into private residences. The original grounds are Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England and now include St. Brendan's Sixth Form College, sports pitches and some farmland. They are now included on the Heritage at Risk register.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hospitals in Bristol.

• Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group
• Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service, Hospital Broadcasting Association
• 'Hospitals: Bristol', in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 2, ed. William Page, 1907