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Doctors refuse to let their patients suffer
DOCTORS furious at cuts to healthcare services in Aylesbury Vale took the unprecedented step yesterday (Tuesday) of voicing their fears publicly.
The team at one of Aylesbury's largest surgeries said they took the decision because they did not believe their concerns would be listened to.
They fear the proposals will leave elderly, disabled and housebound people facing a desperate plight.
They also believe cutbacks could lead to an increase in child abuse.
In a letter, the GPs said: "We have taken the unusual step of writing publicly as we appear to have no route to express our views internally and, if there were one, have little confidence that clinical views would be heard."
The Bucks Herald first revealed plans by the primary care trusts in Bucks to find 18 million of cutbacks earlier this month. The proposals, which had been revealed only days before to staff, had not been put in the public domain prior to our publication.
We immediately launched our Dear Patricia campaign, which calls on the Health Secretary to explain why Bucks has a shortfall in funding, and to give the people of Aylesbury Vale a guarantee about the future level of its health service.
It was this campaign that prompted every GP at Meadowcroft surgery in Jackson Road to write to us.
One of the key areas which has caused concern is the cutback to Florence Nightingale House, the Aylesbury hospice. The cuts will see the number of beds there cut by half. Other services including community nursing, out of hours nursing cover, health visiting for children and school nursing services could also be reduced.
The letter also refers to the proposal to reduce the beds at Florence Nightingale House from 12 to six. It reads: "A single sentence states that this part of the process is not up for consultation and is to be imposed urgently. We struggle as it is with 12 beds at Florence Nightingale House (much of the money for which was raised by public donation) – halving the available beds will be devastating."
The doctors also express concern at a proposal to significantly reduce experienced district nursing personnel and replace them with a smaller number of junior and less experienced staff.
The letter reads: "These less qualified personnel will not have the clinical judgement or ability to manage the complex situations that are essential to working unsupervised in the community. How will the dependent elderly, disabled or housebound members of the community survive without this basic level of service? With fewer experienced district nurses available to fill the gap caused by a reduction in hospice beds and to provide high quality care in the community, the plight of this most vulnerable group of patients will become desperate. Whilst we recognise the importance and value of skill mix in both the district nurse and health visitor teams, we feel the shift away from experienced staff will go too far."
The GPs are also concerned about vulnerable children and say they will be badly let down by these proposals.
The letter reads: "We anticipate that the crucial preventive work performed by health visitors that can stop family situations deteriorating into abuse will be lost. It seems that the value of this work is difficult to measure, so it simply will not be counted and will be easily ignored."
The GPs say the document outlining the cuts is overly complex and poorly laid out and criticise the PCT for not including GPs in the initial consultation and for not appearing to have planned a public discussion.
Pauline Wilkinson is vice-chairman of Bucks County Council's overview and scrutiny committee on public health services, which monitors health services on behalf of the public.
She said: "What they are proposing is appalling. The situation is disastrous – we get less money per head than people in the north. It is a disgrace to even suggest any cuts at the Florence Nightingale Hospice."
Cllr Wilkinson said the committee would work with health chiefs and stressed if the committee does not agree with the proposals, they can ask Patricia Hewitt to look at the document again.
A spokesman for the three Bucks PCTs said they had nothing further to say but would acknowledge all comments. Meetings are being planned for GPs early next month.
This article was first published on August 23, 2006
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Weather for Aylesbury
Thursday 24 May 2012
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