Kentish Express Ashford & District
Demand is up but health groups must cut spending
Budget squeeze means services need to save £35 million
Two health groups have insisted that patient care will not be affected despite a squeeze on their budgets that has led them needing to save £35m.
The Ashford Community Care Group, which provides care for 126,400 people and has a budget of £145m a year, and Canterbury Community Care Group are facing significant financial challenges as demand for services increase.
A report outlining the state of their budgets and their financial recovery says that some savings are behind schedule – including plans to cut management costs to the tune of £3m.
They are also behind schedule in implementing plans for some care to be brought closer to where patients with long-term conditions live.
Even if the savings are all achieved, there would still be a potential gap of £6m to be found.
As part of the savings, some £15m was to be taken from the two groups’ reserves but only £12m is available.
The report says that while demand for services is increasing by 5-6%, CCG budgets are only set to increase by 2%.
Simon Perks, accountable officer for the two CCGs, said: “The NHS faces substantial challenges as demand for services is rising at around 5-6% each year.
“Many of our services have not changed for decades and are not necessarily providing the right care in the right place for patients or making the best of NHS staff or funding. Together with our partners in the NHS and social care, we are working to make the NHS more costeffective and provide more local care closer to where people live through the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.”
“By working together in this way we will make the most of opportunities to improve health and well-being, prevent illness and support people to manage existing conditions and stay independent.”
The financial state of the two groups will be discussed next week by a cross-party group of county councillors on the Kent health scrutiny committee.
The two CCGs are not alone in facing financial pressures. The West Kent CCG says it will have to bring in further restrictions and rationing of non-essential operations and treatments.
Its report states: “The CCG can expect to be confronted by an increasing number of such decisions...some of these decisions may well be difficult and include changes in thresholds for accessing services.”