SPINAL surgery services in Cheshire and Merseyside could be ‘reconfigured’ by this summer.

Under new proposals which are set to be approved by the NHS Cheshire clinical commissioning group (CCG) at its governing body meeting on Thursday, The Walton Centre in Liverpool is earmarked to become ‘the lead provider for all elective spinal activity’.

The move would not ‘change the location of outpatient clinics’, NHS bosses say, ‘other than the introduction of additional spinal clinics taking place at Halton Treatment Centre’.

A pre-meeting report said: “A new model of care for Cheshire and Merseyside has been developed which proposes that The Walton Centre be the lead provider for all elective spinal activity to ensure consistency in the pathway, clinical standards and patient outcomes across Cheshire and Merseyside.

“For Cheshire patients who access these services there will be little change as the majority of patients were referred from the former West Cheshire CCG footprint and referrals will continue to be made in the same way. 

“A very small number of patients who reside in the Cheshire East area access these services at the Walton Centre, but the overwhelming majority access similar services within Manchester and Staffordshire and these proposals do not affect those out of area referrals.”

Data from 2018/19 shows that 104 patients use the service from the ex-West Cheshire CCG area, compared to three from the Eastern Cheshire zone.

Three patients from the Vale Royal area accessed services, and five did so from South Cheshire.

All four of the CCGs in Cheshire merged in April 2020.

Councillors on Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester’s health scrutiny committees have considered the changes, and concluded they are not ‘a substantial development or variation’.

That means they have not requested more patient consultation.

NHS Cheshire CCG will meet virtually at 10:15am on Thursday, April 16.