Cost custs 'will harm local health services'

1:20pm Friday 10th October 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A retired GP fears NHS services will suffer under plans to wipe out an £18 million debt at Craven’s biggest healthcare provider within just one year.

Dr Tom Gibson, from Stirton, was responding to a Government-backed Audit Commission report, which gave the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) its lowest rating – one out of four – for financial performance.

But the PCT, which provides the budget for GPs, dentistry and hospital and community-based services, defended its record, saying it inherited a £45 million deficit following a major reorganisation two years ago.

Under the shake-up, the former Craven, Harrogate and Rural District Primary Care Trust (CHARD) was abolished and merged into a much larger organisation.

The PCT came under fire last year when it was accused of having plans to close the Harden Ward at Giggleswick’s Castleberg Hospital.

However, the trust has since pledged to reopen the 10-bed ward after repairs totalling £140,000 have been carried out.

The PCT is aiming to balance the books by next April, having already saved a total of £13 million over the past 12 months.

But Dr Gibson said Craven suffered from being on the periphery of the trust’s area of responsibility and he feared that matters would get worse.

And he said the trust, which has its headquarters in York, was less sensitive to the needs of Craven’s rural community and was biased towards urban areas.

“The PCT has tarted up Ripon Hospital and there’s a new hospital being built in Selby. But the promise to turn Skipton Hospital into an outpatient’s hospital was reneged upon,” said Dr Gibson.

“I think we would be fully within our rights to go to the PCT’s chief executive and ask how she’s going to wipe out the deficit.

“We need to know what effect this cost cutting will have on services in the Craven area. Where do we stand with all this economising?”

PCT chief executive Janet Soo-Chung said in a statement: “In the last financial year, we achieved a surplus of £13 million which has helped us to reduce our financial debt.

“We are currently taking firm action to achieve the financial balance at the end of this year and be debt free going into next year.

“It is encouraging to see that our improvements in financial reporting and value for money have been recognised.

“However, due to our inherited financial deficit, we are unable to achieve an overall score any higher than one.”

The Government auditors said in their report that the PCT had invested heavily in developing savings plans and had worked hard to achieve them.

One such scheme involved appointing case managers to deal with patients suffering complex health problems.

The aim was to avoid frequent trips to hospital and their GP by having a more co-ordinated approach.

Trudy Balderson, adult services manager at the PCT, said: “Ultimately, we’re aiming to help patients recover more quickly and in their own home if possible.

“Case management will benefit patients by joining up services between health and partner agencies, such as social services and the voluntary sector.

“This will make sure patients can access the range of services they require to promote and maintain their independence.”