Health chiefs warn of £22m more cuts
NHS NEEDS TO MAKE SAVINGS OVER NEXT YEAR, SAY BOSSES
Reporter HEALTH bosses on Tyneside fear they need to find more than £22m in savings over the next year.
The demands of an ageing population and growing numbers of patients with complex and long-term conditions is putting the area’s health services under increasing strain.
A report presented to the NHS Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group’s governing body has outlined the need for £22.2m of efficiency savings in 2018/19 – which comes on top of £28.3 million forecast to be saved in this financial year.
Despite the fact the organisation’s overall budget is increasing by £22.3m for next year, rising costs mean that major savings are still needed to balance its budget.
The CCG, which commissions most of the hospital and community NHS services in the area, says it has a ‘detailed’ plan for the savings.
Dr Guy Pilkington, chair the CCG, said: “This year will see a £22.3 million increase in our overall budget for healthcare services in Newcastle and Gateshead.
“With an ageing population and more patients living with complex and long-term health conditions, demand for services continues to increase.
“Like every part of the NHS, we continually review what we do in the light of changing patient needs, with the aim of ensuring we make best use of NHS resources in serving our patients and public.
“For example, over the past year we have saved £26m with a series of improvements including more efficient prescribing of drugs, and helping patients to access more primary care services rather than relying on more expensive hospital services.
“We have also worked more closely with our care homes and as a result many of our patients have avoided the need for hospitalisation for urinary tract and chest infections, saving the NHS over £3m, but more importantly, allowing safe care for patients at home.”
The report states improvements in quality, innovation, productivity and prevention could reduce costs by £8.4m at Newcastle’s hospitals and £4m at Gateshead’s.
The overall plan represents a significant increase from the £14.4m of savings that was originally targeted for 2018/19.
The report also warns that it is ‘becoming more challenging’ to save the level of money required, given the high level of efficiency measures already introduced.
Last week, Newcastle City Council said that the city’s ageing population meant that it will need to attract between 85 and 169 new social care workers by 2022 to meet additional demand among older people alone. Dr Guy Pilkington