PATIENTS who currently go to Wexham Park Hospital for their specialist care could instead be sent to “community hubs” closer to their homes, under plans announced last week.

Under the Sustainable Transformation Plan for East Berkshire, outpatient clinics, blood tests, minor injuries and operations, as well as some surgical procedures, could all be provided in neighbourhood sites closer to residents – saving them the trip to hospital.

The plan, which will affect around 750,000 people, also aims to cut out the confusion currently experienced by patients negotiating different strands of the care system. This may mean patients would only have to give their details over once regardless of how many different services they need to access, including mental health.

Dr Adrian Hayter is clinical chairman of Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead Clinical Commissioning Group which buys in health services for the area. He said that integrating health, social care and community services to ensure that out-of-hospital care supported people’s independence was now a priority.

The plan aims to deliver integrated care which means ‘people will only have to give details once, for all aspects of a person’s life where they may need help to maintain good health and wellbeing’.

The plan also aims to ensure people can get later GP appointments from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.

Investment in mental health services is also promised so patients do not need to travel out of the area. and can receive services seven days a week.

Cllr Councillor Sabia Hussain, commissioner for health and wellbeing at Slough Borough Council, said: “I welcome the attempts to integrate health and social care as I believe that it will lead to better outcomes for patients. This plan must be transparent, available to our residents and remain within the principles of universal publicly publically provided NHSnational health service.”

The plan has been published on the Royal Borough’s website.

Public consultations are planned for early 2017. For more information visit http://healthwatchslough.co.uk/wp-content/upload s/2016/07/Changes-to-NH S-Services-in-Slough.pdf.