Following a formal public consultation in February 2018, NHS Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS South Tees CCG agreed to make changes to learning disability respite services, to ensure an enhanced model of services offering choice, whilst continuing to maintain a bed base at Bankfields Court in Middlesbrough and Aysgarth in Stockton.
Since this decision was made, the CCGs have been working closely with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) to support the development of a new model of respite services. To ensure equity and as consulted upon this includes refining the allocations process and weighting tool, it is really important to the CCGs that this element is developed with input from patients, families and carers and the CCGs have engaged families to support this.
To ensure continuity in service whilst these developments are undertaken and in recognition of families being able to plan future respite provision, the CCGs have recently written to patients, families and carers to confirm that they can now book respite stays until the end of September 2019, with days allocated based on current allocations, pro-rated from January 2019 to September 2019.
The CCGs will continue to provide updates, and will communicate the outcome of the Secretary of State referral once this is confirmed.