NHS Fife wants your views on new Clinical Strategy

The 12-week public consultation follows six months of extensive consultation with senior clinicians, patients and their carers, partner organisations and the general public.

The strategy, which has an emphasis on prevention and health improvement from a young age, is NHS Fife’s response to advances in medical science and the rising cost of care.

It also details a sustainable health and social care model to cope with an expected population rise of 32,000 people over the next 20 years, and an accompanying rise in long-term chronic conditions such as dementia, heart disease and diabetes.

NHS Fife Medical Director, Dr Frances Elliot, said “As the needs of the population change, we need to make sure the way we deliver healthcare reflects this.

“Whilst we will be working to keep people healthy and prevent the onset of any health problems before they escalate or even arise, new technologies and advances in medical care mean many people no longer have to travel to hospital for treatment and can now access the care they need from their own homes or a community-based facility.

She added: “The Clinical Strategy is NHS Fife’s vision for the next five years and beyond and it is now over to the public to let us know what they think about it.”

Central to the strategy are a number of key recommendations, including the establishment of ‘Community Hubs’, where people can access information and care from a variety of organisations including health, social care, housing and voluntary services, the clinical strategyalso recommends more treatments taking place as close to home as possible

Members of the public can view the strategy and take part in the consultation by visiting www.nhsfife.org/clinicalstrategy or by attending one of the public sessions that will be held across Fife over the next 12 weeks.