NHS jobs and bed cuts for Northumberland and Tyneside
Jul 30 2010 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal
In a statement, NHS North of Tyne said the changes in the document were in line with the coalition Government’s policies and followed several years of “substantial investment”.
They cite a Government health White Paper which makes it clear changes will have to be made “to achieve unprecedented efficiency gains, with savings reinvested in front-line services”.
NHS North of Tyne’s five-year plan aims to reduce hospital admissions by tackling the causes of the region’s shameful health record.
This includes targeting those most at risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes to improve their lifestyles and preventing them developing long-term illnesses.
They say this alone will see “a 10% reduction in the deaths from cardiovascular disease in people under 75”.
Changes will benefit patients
HEALTH bosses last night insisted the changes to beds and jobs at NHS North of Tyne would benefit patients.
A statement issued by the NHS North of Tyne said: "Since last year we have been working in a changed economic climate and against this background we know that in the future we will need to make the very best use of all available resources so that we can continue to invest as much as possible in front line health services and clinical staff, building on the improvements we have already made. This was taken into account when we refreshed our five-year strategic plan earlier this year, which has been discussed publicly and widely shared.
"A key aim of the plan is to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and provide care as close to home as possible which is what local people have told us they want.
"This means that in the future there will be fewer hospital beds needed and there will changes in the distribution of the workforce as more care is provided in people’s homes and in community settings rather than in hospitals. More recently we have been having discussions with GP representatives, local foundation trusts, the mental health trust, the ambulance service, community services providers and local authorities to consider what the local NHS will look like in 2014 and also what this will mean for our partner organisations.
"The ‘end state vision’ is a discussion paper which is currently being developed, taking into account comments from partners to hopefully help us all plan for the future NHS."
