The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Health board faces £27m black hole
NHS Fife told major change needed to reduce budget deficit
NHS Fife faces a near-£27 million budget deficit by the end of the next financial year without major changes, it has been warned.
Spiralling costs beyond the health board’s control were pinpointed in a board meeting yesterday.
Director of finance Carol Potter said it is becoming “increasingly difficult” to balance the books through routine measures. She said: “There is an expectation that financial sustainability will require regional or national solutions.”
The warning came as Fife staff were praised for doing all they could to keep services running during an unprecedented level of demand this winter.
Staff worked extra shifts following a surge of admissions to hospital due to flu, norovirus and a spate of broken bones.
But board chairwoman Tricia Marwick said: “We would be kidding ourselves if we think the challenges we have are not going to continue for a while longer.”
Fife’s NHS staff have been praised for their “outstanding” response to an unprecedented level of pressure on health services this winter.
High levels of flu and norovirus combined with a spike in the number of people suffering fractures after falling on ice have led to a huge increase in people admitted to hospital over the last few weeks.
Health chiefs have described the situation as extremely challenging but said they have done all they could to ensure the continuation of a safe service of the highest standard.
In common with the rest of Scotland, NHS Fife has postponed non-urgent operations to concentrate on emergencies.
Medical director Dr Frances Elliot said she recognised people would be disappointed when a procedure was cancelled but explained it was the best way to keep things safe.
The situation shows no signs of abating and NHS Fife chairwoman Tricia Marwick said: “We would be kidding ourselves if we think the challenges we have are not going to continue for a while longer.”
Mrs Marwick has thanked staff across all disciplines including consultants, junior doctors, nurses, domestics and health records staff who volunteered to work extra shifts to ensure services continued to cope.
In the community, health and social care workers have also worked to enable patients to be discharged from hospital and supported in their own homes.
She told them: “The coordination between acute and community has been absolutely exemplary. I have been totally blown away and in awe of what you have done over this period.”
Whitefield Day Hospital in Dunfermline, which provides rehabilitation to adults with a range of medical conditions, has been temporarily closed so staff can be diverted to where they are most needed.
Hospital staff have also come in for praise from grateful patients and their families.
One relieved father, Ally Miller from Leven, spent Christmas night and much of Boxing Day in Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital with his two-year-old son Henry, who had been suffering from breathing difficulties.
“The staff at the children’s ward were brilliant, from the nurses to the doctors and consultants,” said Mr Miller.
Winter pressures on the health service have highlighted a lack of funding and solutions required to make the NHS sustainable in the long-term, doctors have said.
Health boards across Scotland have been dealing with a surge in falls and fractures due to icy weather and the doubling of flu rates in December compared to last year.
Increased demand has led to more people waiting longer to be seen at A&E over the festive period.
Meanwhile, ministers have praised staff for going “the extra mile” to ensure patient safety.
The British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland said the situation should not be dismissed as “the inevitable increase in pressure that winter brings”.
BMA Scotland chairman Dr Peter Bennie said: “We have seen staff in NHS Scotland working incredibly hard, in extremely difficult circumstances over recent days, to deliver the care that people need.
“I’d like to add my gratitude to the many expressions of thanks that teams working across the country have received.
“But, to be honest, it is not thanks that doctors and their colleagues want. Instead of gratitude, we need a longterm, sustainable plan that closes the growing gap between resources – in particular, finances – and the demand for services.
“And we must not simply dismiss this as the inevitable increase in pressure that winter brings.”
Dr Bennie said multiple targets, an ageing population and a gap in funding were stretching the system and the workforce “beyond their means”.
He said: “In winter, that results in the type of rapid deterioration of services that we have seen over recent days.
“But over the course of the rest of the year it also means the ongoing eroding of standards, care and services.”
The organisation has called for more effective funding, less focus on targets and action on healthcare staff vacancies.
Dr Bennie added: “If we don’t take this kind of action, we risk not only another hugely challenging winter period next year, but an NHS simply unable to cope with huge demands being placed on it.”
Scottish Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: “The government continues to shirk responsibility for previously cutting medical and nursing training places, a decision which has resulted in vast numbers of unfilled posts.”
Instead of gratitude, we need a longterm, sustainable plan that closes the growing gap between resources – in particular, finances – and the demand for services. DR PETER BENNIE, BMA SCOTLAND