Mother hits out at plan to cut RVI funding
Nov 4 2010 The Journal
A MOTHER whose young son is undergoing treatment for a life-threatening condition has hit out at Government plans to cut funding for specialist children’s care.
It has been claimed services at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary’s children’s centre could be threatened by Government cuts.
Warnings have been made as ministers prepare to dramatically cut the funding to specialist children’s care.
Currently hospitals such as the RVI get 78% more for each patient treated if it involves specialist child care.
This is likely to reduce to 25% next year and could undermine the new £100m Great North Children’s Hospital which helps sick youngsters from around the country.
One family who know the importance of funding specialist children’s services is Ben Charlton and his parents Charlie and Lynn.
Ben, seven, of Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in January this year and is being treated at the Great North Children’s Hospital.
His mother Lynn said: “I can’t believe the Government is even thinking about cutting funding to children’s health services, it seems absolutely ridiculous.
“It is extremely worrying and lives will be put at risk.
“It’s really important money is not taken away from any children’s health facilities.”
While the Government has insisted the potential cuts are part of an overall review, Labour MPs have warned that the cuts mean “the most severely ill children in this country” will lose out. Shadow health secretary John Healey sent a letter to the coalition Government calling for a rethink.
He said the stealth cuts will mean the RVI loses millions of pounds from the funding they need to treat children with often life-threatening conditions.
The RVI would not say what its funding is at the moment.
But Sir Leonard Fenwick, chief executive of Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This does appear to be speculation. We shall be seeking clarification as our building of the Great North Children’s Hospital comes into full use.”
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said he was not withdrawing specialist top-up payments.
He said the Department of Health was acting on a review commissioned while Labour was in power which said the top-up should be cut from 78% to 25%.
Mr Healey said Mr Lansley was “making decisions to make deep cuts to our specialist children’s hospitals”.
He added: “Why has no minister before made any statement in public or in this House about these big stealth cuts to our children’s hospitals? How much will each one of the 35 specialist children’s hospitals lose next year to treat some of the most critically-ill children in our country?”
Mr Lansley told him the final decision was still under discussion and added: “This is about specialist top-ups to the tariff where the new tariff has been introduced which, in itself, makes differences to the income and the accuracy of costs provided for services provided by those hospitals.”
