For all the doom and gloom currently in vogue, it is perhaps appropriate to mention our local hospital trust is the only one in the South East which is improving. Whilst productivity, which is also improving, is not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, this improvement is reflected in the particularly high level of elective work at present, starting to slowly eat into waiting lists, not easy when one recognises that demand is growing at 10% a year. The doom and gloom approach is also not helping with staff morale who, despite giving their all, which is evidenced by some of the amazing patient feedback stories relating to how staff have gone way beyond expectations in their care and dedication.
One of the concerning facts is the sheer weight of bureaucracy loaded upon clinicians thereby reducing their clinical time and effectiveness. One perhaps should be asking how much of this work is required to protect the NHS from the growing burden of litigation – the figures are outstanding, with claims in process currently equating to the whole of the NHS’s annual budget!
Despite all of the negative Government news about the new hospital programme, the team tasked with bringing a new hospital into being continues to work apace. Currently adjusting the original plans in the light of the feedback from the public consultation earlier this year. This consultation highlighted concerns around transport, especially for some demographics, and the value of a drop-down facility for those not requiring full hospital treatment. That a new hospital is required is beyond dispute, with building maintenance and energy costs rising rapidly, thereby adding to the unsustainable financial burden; growing issues of layout; and the rapidly changing nature of modern treatments. Thus a new hospital locally is still very much on the cards, as the present is just not sustainable!
A new drop-down facility will help enormously with the ongoing issue that is widespread across all hospitals, namely bed blocking due to lack of social care. This is inevitably going to get worse as our population ages, and as has been recently reported, Hampshire County Council, like so many other County Councils, is in growing financial stress. Will we see this situation deteriorate even further this winter with this Government’s decision on pensioners’ winter fuel payments?
The public consultation did also highlight a lack of understanding about the plans to create urgent treatment centres (UTCs) and a central emergency department (ED). The plans are for the ED to handle ‘life threatening’ cases with a highly dedicated skilled and well-equipped team, giving faster response without having to draw resources from UTC work as is currently the case, thereby aiming at significant improvements to patient outcomes. Meanwhile, the aim is to establish UTCs to handle the other work that currently comes into ED departments, including, for example, full fracture treatment facilities.
Keith Bunker
Governor for the Council of Governors for the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
