When developing proposals for community hospitals and services, local NHS authorities are expected to show a clear strategy for the development of primary and community care, including ambitious goals for the shift of resources rooted in the vision and agenda of the White Paper, ‘Our health, our care, our say’.
There are 10 design principles which must be satisfied by any successful bid for this capital. These are outlined in detail in ‘Our health, our care, our community: investing in community hospitals and services’, published by the Department in July.
The principles will ensure that the investment made will be in high quality services, which patients and the public want and which are sustainable within the local health economy.