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Hospice beds will definitely be axed
CUTBACKS to the level of care offered at Florence Nightingale House, the Aylesbury hospice, will happen, The Bucks Herald understands.
Originally it was believed the cuts were part of a consultation process detailing up to 18 million in proposed savings for healthcare in the county.
But it is understood the move is being recommended for implementation as 'an urgent action', without going to consultation.
The news has angered those already concerned about the future level of care at the hospice. And The Bucks Herald, as part of our Dear Patricia Campaign, is calling on health chiefs to reconsider their decision, which will affect one of the most vulnerable groups in society.
While the beds themselves may not be physically taken out, the document detailing the cuts states that, of 12 available beds, the maximum number that can be safely staffed is six within available resources.
Currently the PCTs are looking to achieve a seven per cent pay reduction and minimise the use of flexible staffing hours. It is this cutback that will limit the number of patients the hospice can care for.
Lynda Lake Stewart, the chief executive of the Vale of Aylesbury Primary Care Trust, said staff shortages and restrictions on temporary cover meant it was inevitable the number of beds open at the hospice would be reduced.
She explained: "There are three people off sick at the hospice presently. We can bring staff in to cover that but we are operating under severe restrictions.
"This morning (Tuesday) there were nine beds occupied with another two booked in. We couldn't afford to have the beds open with the staffing at that time."
Aylesbury MP David Lidington said the news was devastating.
He said: "The universal view is that the hospice provides care which it is difficult to get elsewhere and the best possible quality of life for terminally ill people in the weeks or days they have left. People will be thrown back on overstretched hospitals. How will staff get to have time to give personal attention to people at the end of their lives?"
Mr Lidington has written to Lynda Lake-Stewart, acting chief executive of the Vale of Aylesbury Primary Care Trust and will meet health chiefs with the four other Bucks MPs in the next few weeks. He said he would be urging the PCTs to reinstate the beds if at all possible.
He was backed up by his Conservative colleague John Bercow, MP for Buckingham, who said the idea was unthinkable.
Pat Dodge is executive manager of the Friends of Florence Nightingale House, a group which raises a large proportion of the money needed to keep the hospice running on a daily basis.
She stressed the services supported by the Friends, which include the day hospice and the children's hospice at home would not be affected.
The group has pledged to raise 450,000 this financial year and Mrs Dodge said the public's support was more important than ever.
This article was first published on August 30, 2006
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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