"Secret £250m bonfire of NHS services that will hit young, old and infirm"

[rebbonk]

I'm a white, straight, Christian, male. I'm at the back of the queue for most things.

[Melisandre]

May be you should get some relatives to work in the nhs you would jump nearer to the front of the que then .

[dutchman]

Sending stroke victims to Coventry 'a joke' say healthcare campaigners

SENDING stroke victims to Coventry has been branded a joke by healthcare campaigners.

The first stage of the Coventry and Warwickshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) – which covers NHS spending over the next five years in a bid to save £267million – has seen proposals to increase beds at University Hospital Coventry. If given the green light an extra six ‘hyper-acute’ care beds will be made available for those who have just suffered a stroke – taking the total beds up to 12.

But the hospital would also have to cater for patients across Warwickshire, where services have been cut.

George Eliot in Nuneaton, Warwick Hospital and Rugby St Cross would lose 36 stroke beds between them.

All patients will instead be taken to UHCW where there will also be 31specialist beds – just one more than the 30 it previously had.

Rehabilitation beds will be provided at Leamington Hospital, which will lose one bed taking its total to 19, and George Eliot Hospital will also have 20 beds. These would both cater for patients from across Warwickshire.

The result of the cost-cutting would see most care delivered in the community and STP bosses plan to focus more on stroke prevention for those at risk.

But campaign group South Warwickshire Keep Our NHS Public (SWKONP) fear the consequences of the cuts to Coventry and Warwickshire’s stroke service

Chairwoman Professor Anna Pollert said: “The plan is about cuts, and more ‘care in the community’ – with no mention of how this will be staffed and funding.

“The loss of acute stroke care across Warwickshire means people will have to travel further to visit those recovering in hospital. The CCGs’ answer is ‘We may provide a leaflet about transport options you can choose’. This is a joke.

“The engagement document does not explain how an already overcrowded UHCW can cope with more patients, and one fears that patients will be discharged too early. Who will care of them at home? ‘Care in the community’ usually means unpaid carers.

“The cuts in stroke care are part of the planned cuts of £267 million by 2020 in Coventry and Warwickshire – and SWKONP will oppose these all the way.”

[dutchman]

Fears for patients' move to hospital with fire safety issues



CONCERNS have been raised that stroke patients from Rugby will be sent to a building which could ‘go up like a tinder box’.

The first stage of the Coventry and Warwickshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) – which covers NHS spending over the next five years in a bid to save £267million – proposes to cut all six specialist stroke beds at St Cross Hospital, and remove treatment facilities for those at risk of mini-strokes.

Warwick Hospital and George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton would also lose 30 stroke beds between them.

All patients from across Warwickshire will instead be taken to University Hospital Coventry (UHC), where an extra six ‘hyper-acute’ care beds are being made available for those who have just suffered a stroke – taking the total beds up to 12.

But protest group South Warwickshire Keep Our NHS Public (SWKONP) say fire safety issues at UHC could put patients at risk.

The hospital is currently undergoing remedial work after it was found there were structural defects which would enable fire to spread around the building.

The works were set to be completed by August, but the trust is set to miss its deadline.

SWKONP chair Anna Pollert said: “The Coventry and Warwickshire STP are centralising stroke and other services to UHC, making people travel further to cut services, to a building that could go up like a tinder box.

“Yet UHC knew about these risks back in 2015.

“Could there be a clearer example of cost-cutting and how making health a commodity simply risks lives?”

University Hospital say they have put plans in place while work is carried out.

A spokeswoman said: “Firstly we can assure our patients, staff and visitors that we remain vigilant in ensuring fire safety standards are maintained at all times.

“Following a review in 2015, we learned of some potential issues with the infrastructure. As a result of these issues, we immediately launched an internal investigation to determine if any further steps needed to be taken to make the site safer.

“This investigation appeared to show that, in the unlikely event of a fire, the structures to prevent it spreading were not as robust as those specified in the original plan for the building.

“We have worked to develop a programme of remedial works, which are in progress. Until they are completed, we have taken steps to strengthen our already robust fire safety procedures.

“We also alerted West Midlands Fire Service to the issue and have been working with them closely.

“These extra steps we have put in place means we can assure patients, staff and visitors that the hospital remains safe while the remedial works are undertaken.”

[dutchman]

Campaigners demand answers about healthcare plans to save £267million



HEALTHCARE campaigners are demanding details of plans to save £267million.

Some 1,400 people have signed a petition calling for transparency about the Coventry and Warwickshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) – now referred to as Better Health, Better Care, Better Value – which aims to see £267million saved over the next five years.

But members of South Warwickshire Keep Our NHS Public (SWKONP) say while a ‘basic’ plan was released in 2016, little is known about how they will be implemented.

The petition has been handed in to Coun Kamran Caan and Coun Les Caborn – the respective chairs of wellbeing boards on Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council.

SWKONP chair Anna Pollert said: “The public is still being kept in the dark and wants no more vague jargon and secrecy by the STP planners. The petition says it all – we call on our elected representatives involved in the STP to respond to our petition handed to them requesting the lead Andy Hardy – who is also the chief executive of University Hospital Coventry – to publish full details of the financial, workforce and site plans.

“We want full transparency about plans for local health and social care services, including how the planned ‘savings’ will be implemented.”

The healthcare plans look to deliver more care in the community and cut some hospital services.

So far it is known changes will be made to stroke services across south Warwickshire, and preventative measures taken to try and reduce the number of people who have to stay in hospital.