Showing posts with label Save Our Hospitals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Save Our Hospitals. Show all posts
Sunday, 3 November 2019
Wednesday, 3 April 2019
Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Hammersmith and Fulham has to make £44 million cuts in health spending
Health campaigners are demanding to know exactly what will be cut and when
The CCG buys in the health care needed in Hammersmith and Fulham but campaigners fear many services will have to be cut (Image: BrianAJackson / Getty Images)
One of management groups that buys in health care for people across huge areas of West London is going to have to make savings of some £44 million, but won't yet tell people what services are to be cut.
One of management groups that buys in health care for people across huge areas of West London is going to have to make savings of some £44 million, but won't yet tell people what services are to be cut.
Health campaigners have pledged to keep asking for more details about the "eye-watering" savings Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group is facing over the next two years.
Merril Hammer from health group Save Our Hospitals, has demanded the CCG open up and share information about ways it will save money.
She told its governing body meeting "to date there have been no detailed reports on what savings have been made in the current financial year and on what services have been affected in what way?"
She asked when the public will be consulted about the proposed £17m savings the CCG needs to make this financial year and the further £27m in 2019/20.
Janet Cree, the CCG’s managing director said there are plans to "engage" with the public on January 29.
Paul Brown, the chief financial officer of North West London CCGs said it has to consult on proposals such as closing the Hammersmith urgent care centre which could save £359,000 a year.
He said there were also contracts which are still running, but will be examined.
But Councillor Lucy Richardson, who chairs the council’s health, inclusion and social chair public accounts committee is also pressing for more detail.
She said residents are concerned that services could be downgraded as the CCG has been asked by health NHS England bosses to make "eye-watering" savings of £44m by 2020.
The board meeting was told that there were a range of possibilities, but the “mostly likely position is a total system deficit of £17m and most likely Hammersmith and Fulham will be adrift by £10m,” said Mr Brown.
Demand for the CCG’s services are also 10% higher than its contract.
He said: "We know it’s a challenge, but we keep on working on this problem."
But Ms Hammer said: "People need specifics."
Health campaigner Anne Drinkell also asked how many job losses were likely as the CCG looks to save money.
Chief officer Mark Easton for the group of CCGs said: “We do not anticipate a specific number of redundancies.”
He said there were a large number of vacancies and it the CCGs have already made savings by collaborating on some staff costs and half the accountable officers for the area.
He said savings will be looking “at reductions in growth”.
He told the LDR service “often these are about alternatives and cheaper options".
Monday, 23 July 2018
NHS body ‘wastes millions on flawed financial advice’
North West London Clinical Commissioning Group under fire as cost of implementing management consultants’ plan soars to £1.3bn
Protesters march in London against the NHS financial crisis last February. Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty
A large NHS body has spent millions of pounds on management consultants for a plan designed to save money – but which could cost more than £1bn to put into practice.
Over the past six years, the North West London Clinical Commissioning Groups has spent £66m on 41 different management consulting firms – including the big four: McKinsey, EY, Deloitte and PwC – for a five-year programme to improve healthcare in the area while closing a £1.4bn budget gap forecast by 2021. However, costs have ballooned and the trust said it now needs £1.3bn to implement the programme. It declined to quantify the savings that have been made to date.
It is just one example of the huge sums being spent on management consultants across the health service, despite growing concerns that they do not deliver value for money. Research from the University of Bristol and Warwick Business School suggested higher spending on management consultants made hospital trusts less, rather than more, efficient.
Stephen Cowan, the leader of Hammersmith & Fulham council, said the £66m spent by the NHS in north-west London was “a complete waste of money, evidenced by the fact that they couldn’t produce a business plan”.
One doctor working at Ealing hospital said staff felt completely demoralised by the changes taking place: “First they took cancer care, then they took obstetrics, then they took children’s in-patient services. There is a feeling of planned demolition.”
Management consultants drafted and redrafted the investment case for the trust’s transformation plan, which is now being revised after the regulator said assumptions about reductions in demand for certain services were “counterfactual”. Colin Standfield, a campaigner with Ealing Save our NHS, said: “That is exactly what we said six years ago. We said the numbers don’t work.”
It is a common complaint about management consultants working in the health service. Roger Steer, a former NHS chief executive who reviews NHS plans for local authorities, said: “It’s wishful thinking. You balance the books by assuming that demand can be reduced, then cuts can be justified by the fact that the service won’t be needed in the future.”
He said management consultants were often brought in to give plans a “plausible gloss”. A report by The King’s Fund, a healthcare thinktank, suggested the current wave of plans had “created an industry for management consultants”.
In north-west London, plans continue to be implemented despite the delay in approving the investment case. The first step was to close acute A&E departments at Central Middlesex and Hammersmith hospitals, replacing them with urgent care centres to deal with minor illnesses and injuries. That had a major impact on A&E waiting times in north-west London, which have been consistently worse than the rest of the country ever since.
A spokesperson for North West London Clinical Commissioning Groups said: “Investment in the right expertise has allowed us to redesign services and make real improvements to the care we provide our 2 million residents. Over the last three years we have significantly reduced our spend on consultancy.”
Peter Spilsbury, director of the Strategy Unit, an internal NHS consultancy, said individual trusts are also not sharing informationabout projects, so management consultants can resell their work to different parts of the health service.
He contrasted that with the work of the Strategy Unit. “The knowledge developed stays in the NHS. When we produce knowledge, we publish it whenever we can. If we’ve done a piece of work for one NHS client, we don’t sell it again.”
The lack of transparency has a further impact on staff morale. The doctor at Ealing hospital said: “Everybody feels things are done behind their back with ulterior motives, in a confrontational rather than cooperative way.
“Clearly we are in terrible trouble. When we look back at this period of austerity, I think we are going to see this in the statistics of the healthcare indicators. I’m sure that it will show up.”
- This article was amended on 21 July 2018 to remove incorrect references to the London North West NHS trust.
- The Guardian
Friday, 1 June 2018
PHOTOS and VIDEOS - (H&F) Council Annual Meeting 23/05/2018
Well Done Everyone
Save Our Hospitals certainly succeeded in making sure that defending our NHS - especially maintaining Charing Cross & Ealing as major, acute hospitals were important election issues. SOH distributed around 30,000 leaflets in all kinds of weather with many supporters putting in hours at schools, hospitals, markets and tube stations. It paid off - both councils have been given a clear public mandate to continue to fight to stop the closure of local hospital beds and services and are in a strong position to challenge government cuts & closures that have no public support.
H&F - Labour increase their majority Labour 39 Conservatives 11
Ealing - Labour increase their majority Labour 57 Conservative 8 Lib Dem 4
The Change We'll Bring Together
Save Our Hospitals certainly succeeded in making sure that defending our NHS - especially maintaining Charing Cross & Ealing as major, acute hospitals were important election issues. SOH distributed around 30,000 leaflets in all kinds of weather with many supporters putting in hours at schools, hospitals, markets and tube stations. It paid off - both councils have been given a clear public mandate to continue to fight to stop the closure of local hospital beds and services and are in a strong position to challenge government cuts & closures that have no public support.
Here's the results:
H&F - Labour increase their majority Labour 39 Conservatives 11
Ealing - Labour increase their majority Labour 57 Conservative 8 Lib Dem 4
The New Mayor of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham Cllr Daryl Brown with her deputy Cllr Mercy Umeh
The parting Mayor of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham Councillor Michael Cartwright
Councillor Zarar Qayyum
Councillor PJ Murphy
Councillor Rebecca Harvey and Councillor Matt Uberoi
Councillor Rowan Ree and Councillor Rachel Leighton
Parting Mayor of H&F Council Cllr Michael Cartwright with Cllr Sharon Holder
The Change We'll Bring Together
H&F Councillor, Bora Kwon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKHypMK9R9s
What's the TRUTH about Charing Cross Hospital?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKHypMK9R9s
What's the TRUTH about Charing Cross Hospital?
Monday, 26 February 2018
Sunday, 28 January 2018
Monday, 14 August 2017
Millions more are made to wait by NHS and more news...
Paddington Cube roads layout ‘will hinder A&E dash to St Mary’s’
https://www.standard.co.uk/new
Health inequality gap ‘is still growing’ in England, new Department of Health data shows
https://amp.theguardian.com/
https://amp.theguardian.com/
https://www.theguardian.com/
‘Nothing Is Safe’ As Care Home Flogged
https://www.morningstaronline.
https://inews.co.uk/
Tory government quietly doubles number of NHS properties it is selling off
The Tories have quietly DOUBLED the number of NHS properties they're selling off
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/
NHS will be selling surplus land for at least 10 years – but will it make a difference?https://inews.co.uk/
Save Ealing & Charing Cross Hospitals March & Rally Sat 30 Sept 2017
S
OH at Barts's Strike
Great to see Save Charing Cross Hospital posters at Hammersmith Town Hall and around the borough...
Tuesday, 11 July 2017
NHS must look at hospital plan and more news...
Jaw dropping from
Nine ways to save the NHS – by healthcare professionals
https://www.theguardian.com/
The Guardian ! No mention of huge costs of PFI, NHS market, outsourcing, corporate restructuring-Dr Youssef El-GingihyNine ways to save the NHS – by healthcare professionals
https://www.theguardian.com/
Annual survey shows that in England 20% must wait at least seven days and many are unable to get an appointment at all
More than 14,000 mental health patients sent to out of area beds in recent years, many hundreds of miles from home.
Far from home, far from hope
Exclusive: NHS needs 5,000 more beds, warn leading A&E doctors
https://www.hsj.co.uk/quality-
Doctor’s searing chronicle of NHS piles pressure on Hunt
Medics say ‘powerful portrayal of life on the frontline’ will deepen concern for health service
https://www.theguardian.com/
Medics say ‘powerful portrayal of life on the frontline’ will deepen concern for health service
https://www.theguardian.com/
Spending on the NHS in England
https://fullfact.org/health/
https://fullfact.org/health/
Virgin Care among firms with lucrative NHS deals and a tax haven status
Richard Branson’s group is one of 10 private health providers that have tax havens as part of their corporate structure
Richard Branson’s group is one of 10 private health providers that have tax havens as part of their corporate structure
http://www.independent.co.uk/
Saturday, 8 July 2017
Sunday, 25 June 2017
POST ELECTION - HOPE FOR THE NHS?
June 2017
Dear Supporter,
Teresa May called an unexpected and, in the eyes of many, an unnecessary general election on June 8th, expecting to increase her majority. She failed!
Polling research seems to be clear that the NHS was the single most important factor for people when they decided who to vote for. The result should be seen as an emphatic rejection of the government's handling of the NHS over the past few years.
Teresa May called an unexpected and, in the eyes of many, an unnecessary general election on June 8th, expecting to increase her majority. She failed!
Polling research seems to be clear that the NHS was the single most important factor for people when they decided who to vote for. The result should be seen as an emphatic rejection of the government's handling of the NHS over the past few years.
THANK YOU FOR VOTING FOR THE NHS
As everyone noticed, Jeremy Hunt was hidden from public view during the entire election campaign. Unfortunately, he's been reappointed as Health Secretary. Would no one else accept the job? Or is this a sign that Hunt's destruction of the NHS is to continue? We do know that there are now health campaigns across England who are determined to defend Our NHS.
Meanwhile, London has recently experienced some horrific events - terrorist attacks and, in our own area, the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower. SOH has written to Imperial Health Trust to express our huge appreciation of health workers in responding to the urgent needs of those taken to our local hospitals.
Meanwhile, London has recently experienced some horrific events - terrorist attacks and, in our own area, the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower. SOH has written to Imperial Health Trust to express our huge appreciation of health workers in responding to the urgent needs of those taken to our local hospitals.
'CHOOSING WISELY' ... OR RATIONING?
In the NW London footprint, the CCGs are determined to cut £135 million - around 5% of expenditure - in the current financial year in order to 'balance their budgets'.
As a first step they are asking for views on their proposals to ration medicines that GPs have been prescribing up to now. Patients will be expected to buy these over the counter in future.
Costs will bear much more on those with low incomes who may not be able to afford over the counter medicines. Further, people on low incomes are in general more likely to suffer several conditions than those who are well off and thus will have to pay more for needed medicines. It will be noticed that there is a racial or ethnic element to this. It is unfortunate – but a fact – that people from ethnic minorities are more likely to be on low incomes than other groups. This exercise may also be not just cost cutting and rationing – which is clear – but also a “market tester” to see how much people can be gradually induced to move further along the road to paying for healthcare on top of the taxes that they already pay to fund the NHS.
We are asking supporters to take a few minutes to respond to the CCG 'consultation' before June 30th by following this link - please OPPOSE all measures that suggest patients should pay for anything and stress that GPs should have the freedom to prescribe based on health needs. It seems that many pharmacies and possibly GP surgeries do not know about this rationing exercise. Here's the link:
https://choosingwiselynwlondon.commonplace.is/
This is the first of what we fear will be multiple cuts and rationing exercises to local health provision across NW London. SOH and other campaigns will continue to resist such attacks on our health services.
THREATS, ‘LIES’, VINDICATION
Over the last 5 years we have been fighting plans to downgrade Charing Cross Hospital from a major acute hospital to little more than a glorified Urgent Care Centre, with a huge loss of beds, consultants, A&E and acute services. Hammersmith and Fulham Council joined the fight to keep the hospital open. This year, with the council tax bill, they delivered posters saying SAVE CHARING CROSS HOSPITAL to all residents asking that they be put in windows. Health bosses, under attack for years from campaigners, were clearly rattled by this. They wrote to the council leader, Stephen Cowan, threatening to raise a formal complaint to the Dept for Communities and Local Government, claiming that the council was going beyond their remit, wasting tax payers money and upsetting NHS staff and patients by claiming the hospital was still going to close. Later, Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, received a similar threatening letter about council funds being used to fight the closure of Ealing Hospital. It is no coincidence that both councils are in the same STP footprint (NW London) nor that both councils were the 1st to refuse to sign up to the STP. Health bosses claim the hospitals are not closing despite the significant downgrading. As Stephen Cowan has pointed out in an even more recent letter to all residents, “It’s like demolishing someone’s house only to tell them they have in fact not lost their house because the new garden shed they’ve been given will henceforth be known as a ‘local house’.” During the general election, the Tories reprinted the CCG/Imperial letter to Cllr Cowan after it was published on Imperial’s website, and used it as part of their election campaign claiming the council, and by implication campaigners, were lying about the threat to the hospital. Just after the election Guardian Online published an article which showed that only 13% of the hospital site would be used for health purposes – the remainder to be sold off to property developers. The now amended article (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jun/16/most-of-central-london-hospital-to-be-sold-off-secret-plans-reveal ), states both that no closure will go ahead without consultation but also, in direct contradiction), the DoH confirmed that consultation had already taken place in 2012/13 and closure plans will go ahead. Campaigners believe that threats to the councils and pressure on the media are a sign of how rattled health bosses are in the face of wide-spread public opposition to their plans and of councils who are standing up for their hospitals. WE WILL NOT BE BULLIED! |
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