Category Archives: NHS (local)

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10 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

Put a red line round your local hospital on 1 April

“COMMUNITIES across Devon will be putting a red line around each hospital in protest of their own red line to ‘no cuts to any health services anywhere in Devon.

The Success Regime is proposing large cuts to health services in Devon as part of its Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP).

The STP proposes to cut 590 acute and community beds across Devon, cut nurses’ jobs and access to continuing care, cut acute services in North Devon and cut most of the remaining community hospitals.

Dave Clinch, North Devon media liaison for Save Our Hospitals Services, said: “They really believe when it comes to cuts, “there are no red lines”. They claim to be able to deliver a better health service at the same time as making cuts to the tune of £550 million in Devon alone.

“On April 1 communities across Devon will put a human red line around each and every hospital. This will be a visible statement of our own red line “No cuts to any health services anywhere in Devon.”

The demonstration at North Devon District Hospital will begin at midday on Saturday, April 1.

This comes after proposals of NHS cuts were leaked, which sought to tackle a projected £430 million funding shortfall in the region’s healthcare system by 2019.

In August 2016, more than 200 Barnstaple residents marched from Pilton Park to the district hospital, calling for the safeguarding of services at the hospital.

Those who took part called upon the Success Regime to ensure that acute services, such as A&E, maternity and stroke units, were protected from the cuts.

Speaking at the time, Angela Pedder, chief executive of the Success Regime, said: “We know local people care deeply about the services that Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust provides and we thank them for their continued support.

“However, we’ve been very clear that the NHS in Devon is facing both clinical and financial sustainability challenges.

“The challenges faced are set out in our Case for Change document and all health organisations in Northern, Eastern and Western Devon are working together to improve care, provide more integrated and locally tailored services, and tackle the projected £100 million a year overspend.

“The team has been working closely, as part of the Success regime programme, with NHS leaders and GPs, as well as local public and patient representatives, to develop proposals on future options for local health and care services.”

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/this-is-no-april-fool-communities-across-devon-to-put-red-line-around-local-hospitals/story-30126325-detail/story.html

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9 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

“Care in the Community not working”

… “Dr Bruce Hughes, chairman of the Devon Local Medical Committee (DLMC) which represents GPs, was speaking following a National Audit Office report today (Wednesday).

It says the Government’s £5.3billion Better Care Fund had ‘fallen far short’ of its goal of integrating health and social care.

Dr Hughes, a partner at Fremington Medical Centre, said it reaffirmed GPs’ serious concerns locally about transferring some hospital services and care into the community.

They are worried the national picture could be reflected in the sustainability and transformation plan (STP) review currently going on in Devon, which includes proposals to care for more patients in their own homes.

He said: “The report’s findings indicate that this approach doesn’t tangibly improve patient outcomes and experience, reduce emergency hospital admissions or save money – something we fear could be replicated locally as the same principle of community-based care underpins much STP.

“We urge our STP leaders to pause the transformation process in the local healthcare system and closely examine the report to ensure that the STP and its aspirations aren’t flawed.”

The DLMC wants to know how moving hospital services or treatment into the community will be paid for, as GPs and other services are already greatly stretched.

Dr Hughes added: “We look forward to working closely with STP leaders in the coming months, as general practice is the gateway to the wider healthcare system and has a crucial role to play in the successful delivery of local transformation, to ensure high quality patient care.”

The Health and Social Care Integration report claims the Better Care Fund ‘has not achieved the expected value for money, in terms of savings, outcomes for patients or hospital activity’.

It says the national initiative did not achieve the planned savings of £511 million, with an 87,000 increase in emergency admissions to hospitals between 2014-15 and 2015-16, against a planned reduction of 106,000.”

http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/care_in_the_community_is_not_working_claim_devon_gps_1_4881988

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8 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Economy, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

How to run a health service (or a country): put Aldi and Lidl in charge

Why?

Owl’s recent trip to Aldi revealed that, as well as paying staff more than the minimum wage without using zero-hours contracts:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/aldi-supermarket-highest-paying-uk-pay-rise-3000-workers-above-national-living-wage-lidl-a7510751.html

they had thought carefully about how to maximise productivity.

For example, packaging has barcodes on all sides to make till throughput massively quicker AND – when Owl was (with some difficulty – talons are not as useful as hands in these situations) just about to attempt heave a six-bottle pack of sparkling water on to the belt – the assistant said no need and to leave it in the trolley. How come? There was a number on the plastic handle of the wrapping that applied to bulk buys and all she had to do was press two codes on her screen – one for “bulk items'” and then the code number 6 which identified a six-pack of sparkling water!

EVERYONE at an Aldi store has to be prepared to do any job in the store – if tills are quiet you stack shelves or sort the warehouse, etc. Employees say they have to work very hard but it is worth it for the benefits.

Now, THAT’S how you increase productivity and efficiency! Practical, sensible things that help both sides and a workforce that knows it isn’t being totally exploited.

Aldi management to replace the House of Commons, Lidl to replace the House of Lords? Though, if that’s not popular – combine them both in the House of Commons and have Waitrose for the House of Lords!

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8 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local), Scrutiny, Sustainability, Transparency

National Audit Office slams health and care integration implementation

HOW CAN CUTS TO COMMUNITY HOSPITALS GO AHEAD AFTER THIS STINGING REPORT?

The National Audit Office report issued today
Summary

“Health and social care integration

The Better Care Fund has not achieved the expected value for money, in terms of savings, outcomes for patients or hospital activity.

National Audit Office

“Integrating the health and social care sectors is a significant challenge in normal times, let alone times when both sectors are under such severe pressure. So far, benefits have fallen far short of plans, despite much effort.

It will be important to learn from the over-optimism of such plans when implementing the much larger NHS sustainability and transformation plans.The Departments do not yet have the evidence to show that they can deliver their commitment to integrated services by 2020, at the same time as meeting existing pressures on the health and social care systems.”

The National Audit Office warns that progress with integration of health and social care has, to date, been slower and less successful than envisaged and has not delivered all of the expected benefits for patients, the NHS or local authorities. As a result, the government’s plan for integrated health and social care services across England by 2020 is at significant risk.

In the face of increased demand for care and constrained finances, while the Better Care Fund, the principal integration initiative, has improved joint working, it has not yet achieved its potential. The Fund has not achieved the expected value for money, in terms of savings, outcomes for patients or reduced hospital activity, from the £5.3 billion spent through the Fund in 2015-16.

Nationally, the Fund did not achieve its principal financial and service targets over 2015-16, its first year. Planned reductions in rates of emergency admissions were not achieved, nor did the Fund achieve the planned savings of £511 million. Compared with 2014-15, emergency admissions increased by 87,000 against a planned reduction of 106,000, costing £311 million more than planned. Furthermore, days lost to delayed transfers of care increased by 185,000, against a planned reduction of 293,000, costing £146 million more than planned.

The Fund has, however, been successful in incentivising local areas to work together; more than 90% of local areas agreed or strongly agreed that delivery of their plan had improved joint working. Local areas also achieved improvements at the national level in reducing permanent admissions of people aged 65 and over to residential and nursing care homes, and in increasing the proportion of older people still at home 91 days after discharge from hospital into reablement or rehabilitation services.

There is general agreement across the health and social care sectors that place-based planning is the right way to manage scarce resources at a system-wide level. However, local government was not involved in the design and development of the NHS-led sustainability and transformation planning programme. Local authorities’ engagement in the planning and decision making phase has been variable, although four sustainability and transformation planning areas are led by local authority officials.

The Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government have identified barriers to integration, such as misaligned financial incentives, workforce challenges and the reticence over information sharing, but are not systematically addressing them.

Research commissioned by the government in 2016 concluded that local areas are not on track to achieve the target of integrated health and social care by 2020.

Today’s report also found that NHS England’s ambition to save £900 million through introducing seven new care models may be optimistic. The new care models are as yet unproven and their impact is still being evaluated. According to the NAO, while the Departments and their partners have set up an array of initiatives examining different ways to transform care and create a financially sustainable care system, their governance and oversight of the initiatives is poor. The Integration Partnership Board only receives updates on progress of the Better Care Fund with no reporting from other integration programmes.

In addition, the NAO found no compelling evidence to show that integration in England leads to sustainable financial savings or reduced acute hospital activity. While there are some good examples of integration at a local level, evaluations have been inhibited by a lack of comparable cost data across different care settings, and difficulty tracking patients through different care settings. The NAO today reiterates its emphasis from its 2014 report on the Better Care Fund that there is a need for robust evidence on how best to improve care and save money through integration and for a co-ordinated approach.”

https://www.nao.org.uk/report/health-and-social-care-integration/

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3 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local), Scrutiny, Spin, Transparency

How long is a piece of NHS Property Services string?

New owners of Sidmouth Victoria Hospital under fire for ‘incomprehensible’ answer to rent question.

NHS Property Services (NHSPS) took over 12 East Devon community hospitals on December 1, 2016 – prompting fears from some trustees and representatives over the future of the facilities under a commercially-operated company.

Speaking at a recent Devon County Council (DCC) health and wellbeing scrutiny meeting, Councillor Claire Wright called for NHSPS bosses to be held to account and voiced her frustration at repeated failures to provide the authority with more information.

Cllr Wright asked the company to outline how much each community hospital is being charged in rent, but NHSPS says it is unable to disclose the figures as they remain in commercial confidence while lease negotiations are being concluded.

Cllr Wright said: “I asked for the information in June and I asked again and they said they would get the information and they did not. The answer they have given is incomprehensible.

“A very strong message needs to go back that we have now been waiting seven months for an answer to a very straightforward question and we would appreciate it if they would come to the next meeting because they now own 12 community hospitals across East Devon.”

NHSPS is responsible for managing 3,500 NHS buildings and ploughs any profits back into the health services – selling on property it considers no longer necessary.

Cllr Wright argued it cannot ‘pick and choose’ and, if it is – as claimed – a part of the NHS family, should be held accountable.

Sidmouth fundraisers have vowed to safeguard the future of the town’s hospital, which has undergone a £5million refurbishment paid for entirely by community contributions.

Vice president of the Sidmouth Victoria Hospital Comforts Fund, Frances Newth, said it has received assurance from NHSPS that there should be no noteable changes under the new ownership. She added that trustees have emphasised the amount of community support received in the town and the importance of maintaining it.

Responding to a question from DCC about the amount of rental income compared to figures spent on maintenance, NHSPS revealed its budgeted rental income for 2016/17 is £408 million nationally.

The amount set out for routine, small-scale maintenance in this period is £98 million – which does not include overheads such as salaries of teams carrying out the work – and an additional £60 million is forecasted for larger maintenance projects.

A spokesman for NHSPS said: “The information sent to the council this month was provided further to attending two committee sessions in 2016, where members had the opportunity to question company representatives in person.

“We have provided supporting written information on two other occasions, as requested by the council.”

http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/new_owners_of_sidmouth_victoria_hospital_under_fire_for_incomprehensible_answer_to_rent_question_1_4874530

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2 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Devolution, Health and Social Care (local), Local Enterprise Partnership, NHS (local), Scrutiny, Transparency

Our Local Enterprise Partnership and the NHS (or not the NHS)

Comment turned into post:

“In the light of the concern over the future of the NHS it may be worth reminding ourselves just what Heart of the South West LEP proposed, on our behalf, in their 2015 Devolution Statement of Intent:

We [HOTSW] will:

• Increase productivity by reducing ill-health and reliance on the state

• Reduce overall need for formal health and social care services

• Reduce the cost of health and social care

• Help more people with long-term illnesses or mental ill-health start or return to work

What we need:

• Freedom to pool budgets and direct resources to local need

• Freedom to develop a commissioning framework that supports local decision-making

• Freedom to establish effective, integrated governance and delivery structures

• Freedom to develop local metrics and incentives

(The associated productivity prospectus says something which sounds even more sinister: “A healthier population means lower public sector costs and increased economic activity. To fill 163,000 more jobs [by 2030] we must engage the non-working population in the labour market which will require a significant health and care contribution.”)

Here is what the Public Accounts Committee concluded about LEPs and devolution in its report of 27 June 2016. (Kevin Foster MP, Conservative Torbay, is a Committee member)

“9. It is alarming that LEPs are not meeting basic standards of governance and transparency, such as disclosing conflicts of interest to the public.

LEPs are led by the private sector, and stakeholders have raised concerns that they are dominated by vested interests that do not properly represent their business communities. There is a disconnect between decisions being made by local business leaders and accountability working via local authorities.

It is therefore crucial that LEPs demonstrate a high standard of governance and transparency over decision making, at least equal to the minimum standards set out by government in the assurance framework.

It is of great concern that many LEPs appear not be meeting these minimum standards. The scale of LEP activity and the sums involved necessitate that LEPs and central government be pro-active in assuring the public that decisions are made with complete probity.

The fact that 42% of LEPs do not publish a register of interests is clearly a risk to ensuring that decisions are made free from any actual or perceived conflicts of interest. The varying presentation and detail of financial information across LEPs also makes it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions or make comparisons across LEPs on how they spend public money.”

https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmpubacc/296/29605.htm

The National Audit Office in a 2016 report also made the obvious, but crucial, point that LEPs do not yet have an established track record of delivery.

Our future is in their hands!”

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31 Jan 2017

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Accountability, DCC, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

Adult and Social Care Crisis

“Older and vulnerable people could stop receiving vital help to get out of bed, washed and dressed, because the underfunding of social care has become so severe, councils have warned.

Leaders of 370 local authorities in England and Wales fear that some councils are finding it so hard to provide the right level of support they could face a high court legal challenge for breaking the law.

The Local Government Association said care visits could become shorter, carers could face greater strain and more people could be trapped in hospitals, making NHS services even busier as a result. The LGA estimates that there will be a £2.6bn gap by 2020 between the amount of money social care services need and their budgets.

Cllr Izzi Seccombe, the chair of the LGA community wellbeing board, said: “The intentions and the spirit of the [2014] Care Act that aims to help people to live well and independently are in grave danger of falling apart and failing, unless new finding is announced by government for adult social care.”

The act, which came into effect in 2015, was intended to ensure that councils provided help with basic everyday tasks to anyone who was struggling to undertake at least one of them on their own, because of a physical or mental impairment. But the purpose of the legislation is at risk because councils cannot afford to meet demand, the LGA told the Treasury in its submission ahead of the budget in March.

Only 8% of council directors of adult social care said they were confident that they could fulfil their full duties under the act in 2017-18.

Barbara Keeley, the shadow social care minister, said: “It is deeply worrying that councils are now having to spell out the risks that this lack of funding is causing. We should not tolerate the fact that growing levels of basic needs are going unmet, care visits are shorter and there is increased strain on unpaid family carers.”

A government spokesman said: “Local authorities have a duty to implement new rights introduced in the [2014] Care Act and while many are already providing high-quality social care services, we will continue to challenge and support those not currently doing so.

“We have provided councils up to £7.6bn of dedicated funding for social care over the course of this parliament, significant investment to ensure that vulnerable people get affordable and dignified care as our population ages.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/30/councils-social-care-provision-cut-warning-local-government-association

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30 Jan 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, DCC, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

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“Councils staring into the abyss”

“… A spokesman said Devon County Council’s budget, which will be debated next month, calls for an extra £18.8million for adult health and social care – almost 10% up – to cope with the increasing demand and recognise that Devon has significantly more over- 65s and over-85s who need care and support.

The increase would take the total social care and health budget to £216.5 million.

In all, the target revenue budget for 2017/18 would be £459.5 million.

‘We must step up to the plate’

Council leader John Hart said: “Health and social care is under immense pressure both in Devon and nationally.

“We must step up to the plate. Devon has one of the highest proportions of people over 65 and people over 85 and they need and deserve our help and support.

“So despite the continuing austerity agenda from the Government, we have found extra money for these vital services.

“We have always said our priority is to protect the most vulnerable in our society and I believe this target budget will help to do that.

“That’s why we are also increasing the budget for children’s services again following on from big increases there previously.”

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/councils-stare-into-a-budget-abyss-how-will-your-services-suffer/story-30092127-detail/story.html#u2tKeieLqt5tsT6O.99

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28 Jan 2017

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Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

NHS: Underfunding, underfunding, underfunding

And our CCG’s solution? Cut hoppital beds.

“Hospitals were dangerously full during the recent onset of the winter crisis and breached an edict from NHS bosses to keep one in seven beds free, a new King’s Fund analysis reveals.

England’s 153 acute hospital trusts were told by the health service regulator on 9 December to run at no more than 85% bed occupancy between 19 December and 16 January, the internationally recognised level that hospitals are meant to stick to in order to minimise the risk of potentially deadly infections and to maintain the capacity to deal with emergencies.

Hospitals only managed to meet the target for three days over that period and were running at far higher levels of bed occupancy, often exceeding 95%, the King’s Fund found. Occupancy only dipped below 90% on four days since mid-December, it added.

“Bed occupancy rates above 85% increase the chances of bed shortages and the risk of infection. The fact that hospitals have missed the 85% objective by such a significant amount is further evidence of the huge pressure facing hospitals,” said Richard Murray, the thinktank’s director of policy who undertook the analysis.

The NHS entered the winter period with bed occupancy rates already high by historic standards, given that they were at 87.5% in the normally “quiet” second quarter of 2016/17. “The NHS did indeed achieve occupancy rates below 85%, but only on 23–25 December, when bed occupancy often falls as hospitals discharge as many patients as they can for Christmas, ”said Murray’s analysis.

“However, whatever spare capacity the NHS managed to create was quickly eaten up. As a consequence, it should come as no surprise that early January was an exceptionally difficult time as occupancy rates rose quickly above the 95% mark, although they do appear to have eased somewhat since then.”

Hospitals were operating at close to capacity even though flu, the winter vomiting bug norovirus and extreme, snowy weather, which oridnally might make it more difficult for hospitals to cope, did not cause significant problems. But the fact that unprecedented numbers of trusts were forced to declare an alert in the early weeks of January underlined that hospitals have come under unprecedented strain in recent weeks, Murray said. …”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/28/hospitals-dangerously-full-during-winter-crisis-says-thinktank?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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26 Jan 2017

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Austerity cuts, Democracy, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

Coach from East Devon to NHS march in London 4 March 2017

Contact:

coach@eastdevonalliance.org.uk

Donations towards the cost appreciated

Details of the march here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/757032154449197/

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26 Jan 2017

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Accountability, Consultation, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

South Devon community hospitals bite the dust

“While Exeter and East Devon anxiously awaits the outcome of public consultation to close community hospital beds, residents of South Devon and Torbay are today coming to terms with the loss of five hospitals.

South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group’s governing body today voted to switch resources from hospital bed-based care to community-based care which they say will improve health services and meet increasing demand.

Members agreed that by strengthening community-based services, more people will be looked after at home, so fewer people will need to be admitted and kept in hospital unnecessarily.

As a result, hospitals in Ashburton and Buckfastleigh, Bovey Tracey, Dartmouth and Paignton will close.

Members also agreed three additions to proposals first published last April:

Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Hospital will be evaluated as a base for the area’s local health and wellbeing centre, which would include GPs.

A proposal to establish an urgent care centre on the Torbay Hospital site to provide an MIU service to the Bay should be pursued.

Specialist outpatient clinics will continue in Paignton, where the volume of patients makes this a more appropriate option to travelling to Brixham, Totnes or Torbay.

Dr Nick Roberts, CCG chief clinical officer, said: “Evidence locally and nationally shows that supporting people in or near their own homes provides more effective outcomes for many patients, and this has to be one of our key priorities.

“Some £5.1m is being invested in health and wellbeing teams, which will bring together nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social care support to look after people closer to home.

“We believe that these changes will meet the demands of our modern society – but I want to stress that high-quality hospital care will still be available when needed for patients. That’s essential.”

The aim is for the changes to be implemented as soon as parameters are met to ensure that new services operate safely. The parameters include for example:

the remaining community hospital inpatient services meet the requirement for safe staffing standards for sub-acute bed-based care

Newton Abbot and Totnes MIUs to be open 8am-8pm 7 days a week, and that these MIUs to have radiology at least four hours a day, seven days a week
intermediate care (for patients who need care but don’t need a hospital) operating at least six days a week.

Thursday’s meeting came after a 12-week public consultation. Feedback from the consultation was independently collated by Healthwatch, and the resulting report provided an overview of common themes, comments and criticisms, as well as listing a range of suggestions made by the public.”

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/community-hospitals-will-close-in-devon/story-30089335-detail/story.html

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25 Jan 2017

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Accountability, Claire Wright, DCC, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local), Paul Diviani

“Devon County conservatives [including Paul Diviani] vote down chance of deferring hospital bed closures”

“Six conservative councillors voted down my proposal to defer a rushed decision to close the remaining half of community hospital beds in Eastern Devon.

The proposal was made at last Thursday’s (19 January) Devon County Council health and wellbeing scrutiny committee following a presentation from four members of NEW Devon clinical commissioning group (CCG), which revealed that many more than 3,000 responses were received to their consultation to close 72 beds.

The six conservatives include Cllr Paul Diviani, who is the councillor for Honiton, where the hospital beds are set to be lost as part of the decision.

Yet most of those same councillors voted IN FAVOUR of a motion calling for a pause to the controversial beds cuts and service centralisation document, the sustainability and transformation plan (STP) at the full council meeting in December.

And half of the scrutiny councillors also voted in favour of a raft of actions against the STP in the morning scrutiny session!

NEW Devon CCG is set to make its decision on closing 72 beds in Eastern Devon, on 2 March at its governing body meeting, yet it has received what is says are well over 3,000 technical and heartfelt responses.

Managers are ploughing their way through them, yet this many detailed responses will require a significant amount of work to read, digest and potentially respond to the issues and questions set out in them.

I said that there may need to be further discussions with communities about the issues raised. And according to a consultation response by Hospiscare that I have seen, there is a massive problem with regular breakdowns in social care packages for people who want to die at home.

Last year alone, Hospiscare reported 58 incidents to the CCG where the breakdown of social care packages for people at end of life had caused distress. This is completely appalling, and surely must be the tip of the iceberg.

Hospiscare specifically ask the CCG in their response for an assurance that in-patient care will still be available for dying patients who cannot be managed at home because of complexity or carer breakdown or because they choose not to die at home.

Will they get that assurance? I doubt it.

I also raised the issue of six incorrect postcodes that were published initially with the consultation. This meant that some hospitals were judged as being not as far away from other hospitals than they actually were. The postcodes issue was later rectified but that did not alter the fact that the bed closure recommendations had been based on the incorrect information.

I asked about a detailed impact analysis of the bed closures at Ottery, Axminster and Crediton Hospitals and the reply was that although one hadn’t been undertaken, there is a running analysis in terms of an in-house reporting system. I asked for a copy of this….

I made a proposal to defer the decision to shut the beds in Eastern Devon until the summer (after the elections as decisions cannot be made during purdah). The result was four votes to six against.

I am not quite sure why the six conservatives voted against my inoffensive proposal but given the seriousness of the plans and widespread and significant level of concern in communities… and the councillors’ voting record … I am really angry that they seem to be playing games with such a serious issue.

Councillors are elected to support local communities and act on issues of concern. If we aren’t doing that, what are we there for?”

Here’s the webcast. It is item 7 – Your Future Care:
https://devoncc.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/261371

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/devon_county_conservatives_vote_down_deferral_of_rushed_hospital_bed_closur

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22 Jan 2017

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Councillor Cathy Gardner EDA, East Devon Alliance, Health and Social Care (local), Hugo Swire, NHS (local)

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Swire to East Devon Alliance on NHS crisis – doctors are in control!

I think he may mean people with doctorates in things like “Economics of Privatisation” are in charge!

“You may be interested to see what my local MP Hugo Swire has to say about the NHS Bill and the mythical additional “£10billion”. Do doctors feel as though they are in “operational control for the day-to-day running of services”? I retype his letter here in full:

“Dear Cllr Dr Gardner, Thank you for your email dated 23 November.

I believe that the proposed NHS bill would be the wrong approach to improving the NHS. In my view, giving operational control for the day-to-day running of services to doctors was the right decision as they have the best understanding of their patients and local needs.

The Government has actively supported the NHS’ own plan for the future. that is why it is providing the additional £10 billion of investment per annum in real terms by 2020/21 – compared to 2014/15. Yours sincerely……H Swire”

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22 Jan 2017

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Accountability, Councillor Cathy Gardner EDA, East Devon Alliance, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

East Devon Alliance leader on radio question and answer session

“19 January 2017:

BBC South West have run a series of items on the NHS and Social Care crisis this week (Jan 16-19). I was invited to take part in a panel debate on Radio Devon on Thursday 19th (1-2pm).

I went to Plymouth to be in the studio with Dr Sarah Wollaston MP (Totnes, Chair of Health Select Committee) and Mr David Halpin (retired surgeon and campaigner). Dr David Jenner from the NEW Devon CCG board was in the Exeter studio. The debate was presented by Victoria Graham, who did a very fair job, compared to other BBC interviews I have seen on national TV.

My aim was to raise awareness of the huge administration costs in the NHS today. It’s particularly interesting to her Dr Wollaston defend the managers, despite the fact that I had not criticised them. Telephone calls to the programme following this session included several from people picking up the points I had made and one criticising Virgincare in Devon.

To hear the full debate go to:

https://www.eastdevonalliance.org.uk/in-the-press/20170121/bbc-radio-devon-nhs-social-care-crisis/

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22 Jan 2017

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Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

How to book East Devon Alliance special coach seats to national NHS march in London on 4 March 2017

“In order to show how much we care about keeping the NHS, a rally is being organised in London on March 4th. More information can be found here:

http://www.healthcampaignstogether.com/

The rally is from Tavistock Square to Parliament Square and starts at 12 noon. Coaches are coming from all over the country.

If you would like to join a coach travelling up to London and back on 4th March, and you live in East Devon, please email your details (name, number travelling and address) to: coach@eastdevonalliance.org.uk

We will be asking for donations towards the cost of the coach, a suggested amount might be around £20 per person but this will be confirmed. If you are not able to afford that, please give what you can. To secure a seat, send your details as soon as possible, late comers may be disappointed! If there is demand we can organise more coaches but we need time to be able to do that – DON’T WAIT: SIGN UP TODAY! …

Act now before it’s too late! If you are not able to make it to London on 4th March, look out for events near you on 1st April.

Many thanks,
Cathy Gardner
Leader
East Devon Alliance”

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20 Jan 2017

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Accountability, Consultation, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

People dying apparently not a consideration for NHS (non) Success Regime

Press Release from Save Our Hospital Services (Facebook group):

Public Meetings across North Devon against potential cuts in the acute services at North Devon District Hospital

The SOHS Devon campaign over the last two months has run a series of meetings across Northern Devon in Combe Martin, Lynton, Bideford, Northam, Westward Ho!, Braunton, South Molton. Without exception they have been packed to capacity with around 250-300 people at each meeting.

Speakers from the campaign have been informing the public of what can be done to avert the real danger of the acute and emergency services being removed from North Devon District Hospital following the publication of the so-called Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) for Devon.

Laura Nicholas, Director of Strategy at the ‘Success Regime’ and one of the authors of the STP made this astonishing statement to the Braunton council public meeting in November 2017. “If an ambulance has to drive past a hospital front door to go somewhere else, someone may die. That may be the case, but we have to balance that against a whole range of people who may not have access to any services at all. And that may also lead to that outcome.” A ‘balance’ of a death against a death?

Please see (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=depJDu668c0)

It is abundantly clear that the general public is seriously concerned at what the consequences of any cuts to acute and emergency services at the NDDH will be.

“The people of North Devon fought to have the District Hospital built because of the vital need in this isolated area. It is the second most remote district hospital in the country”, said campaigner Phillip Wearne. “The people of North Devon are fighting now to save our hospital from cuts, which will result in lives being lost.”

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20 Jan 2017

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Accountability, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

Appalling exchange between (un)Success Regime and member of public

At the DCC Health and Wellbeing scrutiny committee meeting [on Thursday] a member of the public (MOP) confronted Angela Pedder leader of the STP group.

The “conversation” went something like this:

MOP “Hi Angela, this STP you are rolling out, you do realise people will die? How do you feel about this?

Pedder “I dispute that fact”.

MOP “Don’t you realise young women will die in childbirth on the way to Plymouth?”.

Pedder ” Don’t point your finger at me”.

MOP (finger removed)” You do realise stroke victims will suffer brain damage before they get to Exeter?”.

Pedder “I dispute that”.

MOP “You’re living in dreamland Angela”.

Source: John Wardman Faceboook

This will presumably appear on the webcast of the meeting.

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20 Jan 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Devolution, EDDC, Health and Social Care (local), Local Enterprise Partnership, NHS (local)

And, yes, our LEP does have a hand in health cuts – and not in a good way

“The Prospectus promises that if local partners have greater freedom to act, by 2030 they will … Support the changes to our health and care system by galvanising and aligning resources across the whole system.”

(Last sentence of the document)

Click to access Issue11HeartoftheSouthWestStakeholderBriefing__545057.pdf

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20 Jan 2017

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Accountability, Claire Wright, Health and Social Care (local), Hugo Swire, NHS (local)

Claire Wright on NHS cuts

This is the benefit of having a local person representing local issues – unlike our MP Hugo Swire who seems to have far too many fingers in other non-local pies.

And, if his debates on NHS underfunding and school funding cuts is anything to go by, no power whatsoever to change or even slightly affect his party’s line.

https://www.facebook.com/bbcspotlight/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE

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19 Jan 2017

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Claire Wright, DCC, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

BBC Spotlight: Independent councillor Claire Wright on NHS crisis

“The debate was aired on the programme here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b088jwhr/spotlight-evening-news-19012017

from 12.25 and then after the programme it was streamed live to Facebook. Over 300 comments were received from people watching and the debate was shared over 50 times.”

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/taking_part_in_a_bbc_spotlight_live_studio_debate_about_the_nhs