COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

George Eliot Hospital could close down in two years’ time if children’s services are sensationally axed.


Barry and Joan Longden

That is according to Warwickshire County councillor Barry Longden who believes the primary care trust is planning to ditch an option to keep maternity and paediatric care at the Nuneaton NHS Trust.

Cllr Longden sits on a Task and Finish Group set up to oversee the Arden Cluster’s controversial consultation which could opt to shut down Maternity, the Special Baby Care Unit and Caterina ward in favour of Coventry’s University Hospital.

He says that should the George Eliot lose out it will signal the beginning of the end as more and more services are lost to Coventry leaving it unable to find a partner to achieve Foundation Trust (FT) status.

“The Eliot is currently looking for a partner so it can seek Foundation Trust status,” said Cllr Longden, who represents Stockingford at Shire Hall.

“It needs to know what level of services are to be retained. If it all goes, is anyone going to want to move into a partnership which has not got any left? All hospitals have to achieve FT status by 2014. If it doesn’t have that the George Eliot will have to close.”

Cllr Longden’s dire prediction has been prompted by theArden Cluster’s announcement that they are awaiting the results of a review into staffing levels by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health at the George Eliot ahead of launching its public consultation.

As reported in the Nuneaton News, the consultation was due to go ahead last year on December 5 but was put back with just a few days to go.

“They are planning to dump Option C, or Option 6, as it is also known, which was that everything stays at the Eliot except Paediatrics, aka Caterina, which would be replaced by a 12- hour assessment unit,” explained the Labour politician.

“I think they are in favour of just two options which basically amount to the same thing, that everything goes to Coventry lock, stock and barrel and these will be in the final consultation document.

“We (the Task and Finish Group) have asked consistently up front and not had any answers. I raised it at the non financial appraisal and at the business case - both of which found in the George Eliot’s favour.

“They’ve not owned up to the fact that everything the Eliot wants to do, they pull to pieces - and it’s not been helped by the policy of diverting emergency child patients for two years, which has left paediatrics run down and without staff.

“They are simply not putting forward a credible statement.”

Chiefs at the Arden Cluster, the pct made up of NHS Warwickshire and NHS Coventry, say they are still looking at all options ahead of the new date launch of the consultation.

Its transformation programme director Sue Roberts said: “We want to ensure that all the proposals we put forward for consultation are robust.

“The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health will provide a useful assessment of proposals to help us in our thinking and we look forward to receiving their views. All proposals are still being considered in order to ensure the final service model is absolutely the right one for local people."

"Children's services at Warwickshire hospitals could be shared"

The future of children's services at a Nuneaton hospital could be safeguarded by a new plan to share doctors with a Warwickshire hospital, it is hoped.

The George Eliot Hospital has proposed a partnership with Warwick Hospital.

The number of paediatricians based at George Eliot would be doubled to eight. Warwick Hospital would maintain current staff levels of 10 senior consultants.

The proposals have been forwarded to primary care trust, the Arden Cluster.

The trust is currently reviewing children's and maternity services as it looks at possible changes to the NHS in Coventry and Warwickshire.

"What it would allow for over time would be for a network to develop across Warwickshire that would be really strong and robust," said Kevin McGee, the George Eliot's chief executive.

'Closure fears'

Stephen Jones, chief executive of the Arden Cluster, said: "The approach of networking clinicians has now been suggested to support one of the proposals and we will be assessing this suggestion, as will the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

"We realise there has been concern voiced by local people and local politicians about the implications of any changes to services on the future of George Eliot Hospital.

"However, I wish to make it clear that we value George Eliot Hospital's role in providing healthcare for local people and are very much supportive of the hospital."

Last week, three local councils opposed any suggestion that Nuneaton should lose its maternity or children's services, because they feared this could lead to the closure of the hospital itself.

Annually, there are 2,500 live births at George Eliot and about 17,500 children are admitted to its A&E department.

Nuneaton's george Eliot Hospital asks for public views on partnership plan

GEORGE Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton is ready to take the next step in its search for a partner – by asking staff and patients for their views.

The hospital admitted last summer that it would not be able to earn Foundation Trust status alone.

That meant the George Eliot had to find a partner or face being taken over by a rival after April 2014.

Now it is asking the people of Nuneaton what they want the hospital to offer and what they want a possible partner to bring to the table.

Chief executive Kevin McGee said: “We want to make sure we reflect the people’s wishes as we move forward. The role of the public in this cannot be underestimated. I am openly and genuinely inviting people to get in touch and feed in their ideas and suggestions.”

The George Eliot is one of many district hospitals which will not be able to achieve Foundation Trust (FT) status on their own.

Its application would be hindered by its history of financial difficulties and high mortality rates.

Despite those past problems, a host of organisations have already come forward as potential partners.

Circle – which recently became the first private firm to take over an NHS hospital in Cambridgeshire – has been widely credited with an interest by specialist publications such as the Health Service Journal.

Heart of England Foundation Trust in Birmingham – one of the country’s biggest hospital groups – also wants to take over the George Eliot to create a healthcare corporation.

The other leading contender at this stage is South Warwickshire Foundation Trust, which runs Warwick and Stratford Hospitals.

It is already looking to take over children’s services in Nuneaton with the George Eliot’s blessing and a public consultation on those plans is likely to start in the coming weeks.

That could pave the way for a wider partnership between the two hospitals, serving patients across the whole of Warwickshire. However, the George Eliot has already ruled out UHCW NHS

Trust, which runs University Hospital and St Cross, as it is not yet an FT.

Mr McGee said his team had worked hard in the last few months to establish how they want the George Eliot to be set up in future and had begun talking to some would-be partners about how they could achieve that aim.

He said the priority was to ensure the hospital continued to offer a full range of services to the people of Nuneaton, both on site and in the community.

A series of events and talks will now be held to increase staff and public awareness and involvement. For more information, visit the hospital’s website at http://www.geh.nhs.uk.

Unions and councillors to fight plans for private partner at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton


County councillor Barry Longden

Unions and councillors have vowed to fight any plans to bring in a firm to help run George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton.

Bosses admitted last year that they could not meet the government deadline to become an autonomous Foundation Trust by 2014.

They said the hospital needed to find a partner to secure its future.

Now George Eliot has identified six of the seven candidates who are bidding for the role.

Four are private companies – Circle, Care UK, Serco PLC and a firm that has declined to be named.

The prospect of a private partner gaining a controlling voice in the hospital has worried many. County councillor Barry Longden has been a committed campaigner to save George Eliot Hospital whenever it faced service cuts in the past.

He said he was not surprised there were a number of private firms looking to partner the George Eliot.

However he would fight tooth and nail to oppose such a move. He said: “From the outset I made it perfectly clear what I thought about moving away from an NHS partner.

“My stance is out there – I will openly campaign against any decision to partner with a private firm.”

The idea of hospitals being taken over by private firms or bringing them on board as a partner is highly controversial and critics warn it could cause the demise of the NHS.

Academics who have studied the privatisation of hospitals in other countries claim it has driven down staff pay, cut patient beds and undermined access to care.

However, the government remains keen on competition within the NHS and that includes throwing open the door to the private sector to bid for contracts and drive down costs.

Circle became the first private firm to take over a NHS hospital last year, acquiring debt-ridden Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

It has long been suggested as one of the leading candidates to partner the George Eliot in Nuneaton.

Frank Keogh, Unite convenor at the George Eliot Hospital and chair of the union’s national health sector committee, said “Obviously Circle has already got form, it has already got Hinchingbrooke.”

He said the union was keen to be involved in constructive talks. However, he warned: “Our preference will be for an NHS partner. We have made it clear that if the hospital choses a private partner we will actively campaign against that.”

Mr Keogh said the review of paediatric and maternity services at the George Eliot and the health bill made it a crucial time for the future of health care.

George Eliot is also considering a possible merger with three NHS Foundation Trusts – South Warwickshire, Burton Hospitals and Dudley.

Private firm 'to run' Nuneaton's George Eliot Hospital

GEORGE Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton could be heading towards a private takeover as hopes of a merger with a neighbouring NHS hospital fade.

It is nearly a year since bosses at George Eliot Hospital admitted they needed to find a partner to ensure short-term survival.

Now South Warwickshire Foundation Trust – which runs Warwick Hospital and the county’s community health service – fears its popular takeover plan will be sidelined.

The Telegraph has been told it looks increasingly likely health chiefs will bring in a contractor to run the George Eliot as a “franchise”.

Senior NHS officials and trade union leaders believe that would favour a takeover by a private firm.

Glen Burley, chief executive at South Warwickshire FT, said he was concerned a franchise would struggle to keep pace with the rapid changes happening in the NHS.

“Running a hospital is not like running McDonald’s,” he said.

Hospitals must become autonomous Foundation Trusts by 2014 or face a possible hostile takeover. As the George Eliot could not meet the criteria it has already sought a partner.

Six candidates came forward – three NHS trusts and three firms.

Of those options patients, politicians and hospital staff openly favoured an NHS merger to create a Warwickshire Foundation Trust.

Pooling the resources of Warwick Hospital, George Eliot and community health would create a county-wide trust with an annual budget exceeding £300million.

It would also cut back office costs and streamline the service, making both hospitals more sustainable.

Mr Burley said George Eliot needed a permanent solution, not managers brought in on a short contract.

He said his trust was still keen on a Warwickshire-wide model, but a franchise would not allow this.

He said: “If we were to be excluded we want stakeholders to understand that we haven’t just walked away from this process.”

The financial arguments are particularly pertinent as the Telegraph revealed yesterday how local hospitals face £60million cuts this year.

Coventry MP Jim Cunningham warned this could force hospitals and patients into the private sector.

Last year Circle became the first firm to run an NHS hospital, taking over the cash-strapped Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

On that occasion there were no NHS bidders – unlike this time – but the company would remain a frontrunner to win a franchise contract.

Frank Keogh, Unite union convenor at the George Eliot, said he shared concerns that the tender process was leaning towards a private franchise.

He said that would be a watershed moment for the NHS and could see more hospitals across the country being run by firms.

“We would openly campaign against a private takeover,” he said.

Kevin McGee, chief executive at George Eliot, said no decision had been taken and all options were still being carefully considered.

He said a franchise model was not necessarily a private model and he would still expect NHS bids.

Any decision would be transparent and made in the best interests of the George Eliot and its patients, he said.

Plans for private firm to run George Eliot Hospital opposed by Nuneaton council

NUNEATON and Bedworth Borough Council has opposed any plans for a private firm to run George Eliot Hospital.

Councillors overwhelmingly voted that the hospital should “stay solely within the NHS and should not be used for private profit”.

The motion was put forward by councillors from the ruling Labour group. It coincided with the government giving outline approval for private firms to bid for the contract to run the hospital in Nuneaton.

Coun Brian Hawkes was one of those who brought the motion to a full council meeting.

He said: “I believe if the Eliot goes with a private partner the government will use it as a prototype.”

“We fear a private firm would look to off-load the less profitable parts.”

He said the council wanted the George Eliot to keep “the ethos that patients come before profits”.

Green Party councillor Keith Kondakor also voted to keep George Eliot under NHS management.

Last year bosses at the George Eliot admitted they could not meet the government deadline to become an autonomous Foundation Trust.

That meant the hospital had to find a “partner” to secure its short term future or face a hostile takeover.

The Department of Health has now given the hospital permission to proceed with the procurement process.

It means NHS organisations and private firms will be able to bid.

In an unexpected twist, NHS hospitals can now apply even if they are not already Foundation Trusts.

That means the UHCW NHS Trust – which runs University Hospital in Coventry and St Cross in Rugby – could enter the fray.

It has not ruled out the possibility. A spokesman told the Telegraph the board would have to discuss the matter at their next meeting.

If UHCW did join the race it would face stiff competition. Six potential partners have already expressed an interest in running the George Eliot.

Two of those, Warwick Hospital and the company Serco, now plan to launch a joint bid.

The private firm Circle also appears to be keen to proceed.

However, the three remaining candidates have been more cautious.

Helen Ashley, chief executive of Burton Hospitals, said the trust would now consider its options.

Dudley hospital group failed to respond to the Telegraph’s questions, while the company Care UK declined to comment on its plans.

The George Eliot’s initial business case appeared to lean towards bringing in a contractor to run the hospital on a short term franchise deal.

Yet it is keen to keep its options open and will consider a merger with another NHS hospital.

Chief executive Kevin McGee said it would publish more guidelines for bidders next months.

Those will invite as broad a range of bids as possible to make sure the hospital “does not miss out” on the best solution, he said.