MP for Henley, John Howell, invited Robert Courts, other Oxfordshire MPs, the Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council and Health Chiefs from Oxfordshire and Berkshire to visit Townlands Memorial Hospital in Henley. The group wanted to see for themselves the success of the hospital and of the new approach it represents to healthcare and its integration with social services. Townlands Memorial Hospital is regarded as a national flagship of the new approach to healthcare recognising the need to treat people as close to home as possible.
The group were shown the facility in operation including the RACU (Rapid Access Care Unit) and the care beds in the adjacent Care Home run by the Order of St John. These beds are set aside for use by the hospital where short term bed care is needed. At the time none were in use.
Clinicians explained the way of working and the importance of integrating health and social services. As they spoke they were clearly excited that with this patient-centred approach it was possible to break down administrative barriers existing within the NHS.
Robert Courts, the MP for Witney said:
““The team at Townlands are running a fantastic example of a modern hospital, providing the care needed in the local area. I commend their hard work and innovation. I am grateful to them for their tour which highlighted many ways in which MPs and Oxfordshire health bosses can work together to provide the care we all need in the future.”
John Howell, MP for Henley said:
“I have spoken extensively in the House of Commons about healthcare and the model presented by Townlands Memorial Hospital. The hospital is a great success and I am glad that patients who have used the hospital speak so highly of it. My colleagues as local MPs have been keen to see this for themselves with a view to seeing how something similar might work in their own constituencies. The visit was arranged to fit with the regular programme of meetings between MPs and the health service in Oxfordshire which I chair.”
Victoria Prentis, MP for the Banbury Constituency said:
“It was good to visit Townlands Memorial Hospital with my Parliamentary colleagues, Oxfordshire County Council, and clinicians from across the Thames Valley this morning. It provided a helpful opportunity to discuss coordinated patient care pathways in and around Henley. It is important that a joined up approach is taken, particularly when supporting elderly patients. I look forward to further discussions surrounding community hospitals in North Oxfordshire.”
Councillor Charlotte Dickson, spokeswoman for Ed Vaizey, MP for the Wantage Constituency said
“Townlands hospital seems to be a very interesting model for 21st Century healthcare provision in Oxfordshire. Services are provided where and when they are needed not just for residents of Henley but for the surrounding community. It is good to see such a sensible and joined up approach to this important issue.”
Stuart Bell, Chief Executive of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust said,
"We were delighted to host the visit to Townlands Hospital by Oxfordshire MPs, organised by John Howell MP. It was a chance to see how the innovative new approach we have developed there helps people get back home as soon as possible after an episode of illness, so that they have the best possible chance of recovery and returning to their usual way of life and functioning. It also demonstrates the importance of all the health and social care system working together as a team, focusing on what is best for each individual patient. Townlands works well only because it is the hub of a network of care providers involving GPs, community nurses and therapists, paramedics, and our partners at The Order of St. John, The Royal Berkshire Hospital and Oxford University Hospitals. With our partners in the CCG and at Oxfordshire County Council, we want to find ways of taking the experience gained at Henley and applying it more widely across the county."
