MEDICAL experts are expected to talk to the public in July over a shake-up of health services in North East Lincolnshire.
Members of Clinical Commissioning Groups in both North and North East Lincolnshire and Northern Lincolnshire And Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) are working together to collate information to help them fully understand the needs of the community.
A Sustainable Service Review (SSR) is under way to outline what services are required by the health service and wider community, and how they can be delivered while getting the best value for money, as reported.
However, Cathy Kennedy, deputy chief executive for North East Lincolnshire's CCG, wants to stress that no draft documents, plans or options have been published regarding the review.
Her comments follow the Grimsby Telegraph's sister paper in Scunthorpe publishing information from a document it had seen.
This was, in fact, a public document drawn up by North Lincolnshire CCG highlighting its commissioning plan for 2013-14 Right Care, Right Place.
It is already known that as part of the report, areas being looked into are maternity, paediatric, stroke, planned (non-emergency) and unplanned (emergency) care.
Cathy said: "It has been well documented that NEL CCG is currently working with its partners to look at existing services across Northern Lincolnshire through a programme called sustainable services.
"This is to explore how these services can be improved and can provide, long into the future, the high quality and excellent health outcomes that local people deserve.
"No decisions have yet been taken about what changes might happen.
"Nothing will be published either until the pre-engagement phase starts at the beginning of July.
"A full consultation, if the proposed changes are sufficiently significant to require it, would be held later in the year."
ON THE WEB: More information about the Sustainable Service Review can be read at www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk
