Hewitt faces major opposition to her NHS cutbacks and closure plans
Patricia Hewitt has given the go-ahead to a reshaping of hospital services in Yorkshire, widely viewed as the first big trial of her resolve to push through politically contentious reforms. The health secretary has backed significant changes to services in the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust despite local opposition. Local activists have gathered a 40,000-signature petition, gained a seat on the local council and warned local Labour MPs in marginal seats they could lose support at election time.
David Nicholson, the new chief Executive of the NHS has said that sixty hospitals are likely to face significant changes to the way that their services are delivered. In many cases these hospitals will lose their Accident and Emergency departments.
Hell-times-three for staff selling changes
"From Halifax, Huddersfield and Hell, good Lord preserve us", ran the old Yorkshire saying when the woollen industry blanketed the towns with greasy smog and the sparrows were said to wake up coughing, writes Nicholas Timmins.
Those days may be long gone but for the NHS managers and clinicians supporting the reorganisation proposals, some of the public meetings fell easily into the third of those designations.
"These meetings were horrendous, not once but three times" claimed Linda Riordan, Halifax's Labour MP. " For the executives and the doctors it was awful. They were shouted at and abused. They were accused of only doing this to keep their jobs, or to get a bonus, or lining their own pockets at the expense of patients."
Health Direct has a question for Ms Riordan. In the real business world there is a saying- KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid. If the NHS closures and cutbacks are so simple and aren't based on labour's underfunding- why can't the practitioners explain the need for closures to the voters?
OTHER KEY NHS CLOSURE BATTLEGROUNDS
SURREY AND SUSSEX
Proposals expected shortly. Five full 'blue light' accident and emergency departments in Surrey may be reduced to two, with hospitals in Crawley and Redhill and in Worthing and Chichester, among others, likely to see changes. A campaign to 'save' the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford has spurred 7,000 people to join a march even before the proposals are published
EAST OF ENGLAND
19 hospitals across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and the rest of East Anglia are under review. It is suggested that the number of full-blown casualty departments may halve
NORTH-EAST
Changes to services in Stockton and Hartlepool currently with independent reconfiguration panel
NORTH-WEST
Closure of full accident and emergency services in Rochdale, Burnley and Kendal proposed. Significant changes in Warrington, Manchester and Trafford
LONDON
Plans still being drawn up. Changes likely to be extensive.
The above was based on an article in today's FT:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b67654d2-6ece-11db-b5c4-0000779e2340.html
David Nicholson, the new chief Executive of the NHS has said that sixty hospitals are likely to face significant changes to the way that their services are delivered. In many cases these hospitals will lose their Accident and Emergency departments.
Hell-times-three for staff selling changes
"From Halifax, Huddersfield and Hell, good Lord preserve us", ran the old Yorkshire saying when the woollen industry blanketed the towns with greasy smog and the sparrows were said to wake up coughing, writes Nicholas Timmins.
Those days may be long gone but for the NHS managers and clinicians supporting the reorganisation proposals, some of the public meetings fell easily into the third of those designations.
"These meetings were horrendous, not once but three times" claimed Linda Riordan, Halifax's Labour MP. " For the executives and the doctors it was awful. They were shouted at and abused. They were accused of only doing this to keep their jobs, or to get a bonus, or lining their own pockets at the expense of patients."
Health Direct has a question for Ms Riordan. In the real business world there is a saying- KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid. If the NHS closures and cutbacks are so simple and aren't based on labour's underfunding- why can't the practitioners explain the need for closures to the voters?
OTHER KEY NHS CLOSURE BATTLEGROUNDS
SURREY AND SUSSEX
Proposals expected shortly. Five full 'blue light' accident and emergency departments in Surrey may be reduced to two, with hospitals in Crawley and Redhill and in Worthing and Chichester, among others, likely to see changes. A campaign to 'save' the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford has spurred 7,000 people to join a march even before the proposals are published
EAST OF ENGLAND
19 hospitals across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and the rest of East Anglia are under review. It is suggested that the number of full-blown casualty departments may halve
NORTH-EAST
Changes to services in Stockton and Hartlepool currently with independent reconfiguration panel
NORTH-WEST
Closure of full accident and emergency services in Rochdale, Burnley and Kendal proposed. Significant changes in Warrington, Manchester and Trafford
LONDON
Plans still being drawn up. Changes likely to be extensive.
The above was based on an article in today's FT:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b67654d2-6ece-11db-b5c4-0000779e2340.html
posted by Dr Search- Principal Consultant at the Search Clinic at
9:22 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home