Patients across Great Yarmouth and Waveney will benefit from improved adult community services and specialist palliative care after a contract was awarded to East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH).
The contract, which begins on 1 April and is worth £207m over seven years, has been awarded by NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The move will bring together services in a much more joined-up way and will have a greater focus on patient outcomes across Great Yarmouth and Waveney.
One of the key features of the service, which will be in place from 1 April, is a specialist palliative care service which will be delivered in partnership with St Elizabeth Hospice. This will be a consultant led community-based service, meaning that patients have access to consistent palliative and end of life care across Great Yarmouth and Waveney.
Specialist staff will work closely together with other community teams, including social care and the voluntary sector and GP practices, to provide seamless care for patients and their families. Specialist palliative care beds will also be provided within a community hospital, hospice or accredited care home setting.
Verity Jolly, director of patient services commented “St Elizabeth is delighted with ECCH’s success and is very much looking forward to working with them in the support of patients with a specialist palliative care need and their families.”