Review has ‘no plans to close hospital’
3:02pm Wednesday 24th October 2012 in News
THERE are no plans to close the Royal Bolton Hospital and any changes in the town will be done to improve care, the chairman of Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has said.
Dr Wirin Bhatiani’s comments came after unions urged NHS staff, patients and members of the public to join a campaign to save A&E units in Greater Manchester, including Bolton.
Officials from unions including Unite, Unison, the Royal College of Nursing and the Society of Radiographers, addressed hundreds of staff at 10 meetings where they told them a review of the NHS in Greater Manchester, called Healthier Together, could lead to the closure a number of A&E departments across the region.
But Dr Bhatiani, who has been involved in the Healthier Together discussions since they began about seven months ago, said: “The most important thing to remember with regards to the Healthier Together programme, is that plans are in the very early stages and there are currently no specific proposals to shut services at the Royal Bolton Hospital.”
Dr Bhatiani said the Healthier Together programme was in collaboration will all 12 CCGs in Greater Manchester.
He added it was necessary because the demands on the NHS were growing and to meet these while improving care for patients meant working in a “integrated way” with other hospitals, councils, GPs and community- based services.
Dr Bhatiani said consultations had shown people were willing to travel for specialist care.
“The focus is ensuring the best care is available for all our patients — in Bolton we continue to have this challenge of significant inequalities,” he said.
“We want to bring care into the community, nearer the patient and in the home of the patient. The concern people have about the local hospital is a little premature because at present we are in the consultation process.
“We do know the very specialist services cannot be provided at every hospital.
We know from our public consultation the public is willing to travel if that means they can have highly specialised care.”
Comments are closed on this article.
Comments (9)
9:09pm Wed 24 Oct 12
support our NHS says...
A move to a small number of super hospitals will disadvantage the vulnerable and elderly.
No decision has been made with regards to the future of A+E but the intention to reduce the number has been made clear by NHS Greater Manchester. Now is the time to make it clear that we need a local service with a fully funded hospital behind it. Before it is too late and the decisions have been made.
Bolton FT has to save £38m over the next 2 years.This is not because of financial mismanagement at the Trust, it is because the government, are cutting health and other public services, whilst putting billions into quantitative easing. Giving more money to the bankers!!
It is not possible to take that much out of health services without affecting patient care. We need to fight for fully funded care - provided locally.
10:30pm Wed 24 Oct 12
Bendix says...
6:32pm Thu 25 Oct 12
support our NHS says...
My point I was trying to make was that the level of savings that the Trust is facing is principally due to government cuts.
NHS budgets are being slashed in every Trust. Bolton is just ahead of the rush of Trusts that will have financial problems in the near future.
My other comments still stand.
7:15pm Thu 25 Oct 12
Bendix says...
11:09pm Thu 25 Oct 12
support our NHS says...
The tariffs have been reduced. This means that hospitals are paid less now than they were 2 years ago for the same procedure.
The tariffs are available to see on the DOH website if you trawl through it.
You will see that the money that hospitals get has reduced in absolute terms. The government say that they have protected health expenditure but billions have been spent on restructuring. That is where the money has gone.
My interest is that I want there to be an NHS for my family when I need it.
6:54am Fri 26 Oct 12
Bendix says...
11:31pm Fri 26 Oct 12
support our NHS says...
That doesn't alter the fact that this government are wasting millions on a redesign that they didn't have a mandate for. |Things are absolutely getting worse not better.
Introduction of a fragmented private sector with IT systems that don't speak to each other would not improve things.
When you get your website running it would be very interesting to balance it out with how many times have the NHS had to pick up the pieces when the private sector gets it wrong.
11:32pm Fri 26 Oct 12
support our NHS says...
That doesn't alter the fact that this government are wasting millions on a redesign that they didn't have a mandate for. |Things are absolutely getting worse not better.
Introduction of a fragmented private sector with IT systems that don't speak to each other would not improve things.
When you get your website running it would be very interesting to balance it out with how many times have the NHS had to pick up the pieces when the private sector gets it wrong.
6:10am Sat 27 Oct 12
Bendix says...