NHS takes axe to hospital units
Casualty wards and elderly services to be closed and centralised as health service tries to save money
THE NHS has begun drawing up a formal list of hospital departments to be shut in an attempt to ease the worst financial crisis in its history.
The public will see a “glut” of closures, with Accident & Emergency units and key services for the elderly among those stripped out and centralised, one leading executive said.
The warning came as two NHS hos- pitals suspended A&E services for children yesterday.
Every region has been ordered to identify departments that are not sustainable, to help tackle short-staffing and a growing financial black hole.
NHS leaders said the plans, which will be detailed in the autumn, will involve closing some casualty departments while services including rheumatology and urology will be centralised, forcing patients to travel further. They said the changes were necessary to ensure safety.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said even these moves would not be enough to stave off the financial crisis. “We’ve got this absolutely massive financial deficit which is the biggest in NHS history and then at the same time … we’ve got major shortages in key areas like nurses and doctors which effectively are meaning people are having to shut services,” he said. “We are reaching breaking point.”
Yesterday County Hospital in Stafford suspended A&E services for under-18s after doctors warned that they were not safe.
Fairfield General, in Greater Manchester, has told ambulances to take children elsewhere, after inspectors found they had no paediatric doctors. Staffing shortages have also forced restrictions on A&E services in Grantham, Lincs, and Chorley, Lancs.
Mr Hopson called on Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, and Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, to set new limits on what the service can provide, if its budget is not increased.
This could mean tighter rationing of treatments, significant staff cuts or longer waiting times, he said.
NHS Improvement, the health service regulator, meanwhile, issued its latest findings on the financial performance of the NHS, which last year recorded a deficit of £2.45 billion.
It found a deficit of £460 million in the first quarter of the financial year 2016-17, half the figure for the same time last year. But the new figure would have been far higher had it not been for a cash injection of £450 million.
The regulator has asked health chiefs to identify which services should be centralised in order to tackle staff shortages and financial problems. A letter sent last month, and seen by
The Daily Telegraph, orders NHS organisations to supply a two-page list of services which could be cut or centralised, calling for “rapid progress” during the current financial year.
Mr Hopson said this would mean “a glut” of decisions on closures over the next year, especially at small district general hospitals.
Draft plans submitted to the regulator include cutting the number of major hospitals in Leicestershire and Rutland from three to two.
In the West Midlands and Black Country, one of two district general hospitals would close, and five acute sites be cut to four.
The data from NHS Improvement showed far more patients enduring long waits on trolleys. In the first quarter of 2016-17, 112,177 patients waited for more than four hours, up 60 per cent compared with a year earlier.
There were sharp rises in casualty attendances and 999 call-outs and response-time targets were missed.
Jim Mackey, chief executive of the regulator, said: “This is a crucial year for the NHS. Today’s results have demonstrated that providers are up for the challenge and are starting to get a grip on their finances.”
Patient performance data was “more disappointing,” he said.