NHS crisis: Stop the bickering and find a cure warn MPs

DOWNING STREET, Ministers and health service officials must stop bickering and find real solutions to the NHS funding crisis, an influential parliamentary committee has warned.

By The Newsroom Monday, 27th February 2017, 9:24 am Updated Wednesday, 1st March 2017, 9:32 am

The public has yet to be convinced that “transformation plans” for the NHS are anything more than “just a cover for cuts in services”, according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

In a report published today, the committee of MPs, which oversees how public money is spent, calls on the Department of Health, NHS England and Downing Street to work together “in the best interests of patients”.

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Recent figures from the IPPR North thinktank suggest the NHS in Yorkshire is facing a £2bn deficit by the end of the decade, even with the extra funding promised by the Government.

Local health service bodies are drawing up proposals, known as Sustainable Transformation Plans (STPs), as part of a major NHS efficiency drive to fill the budget gap.

An analysis by The Yorkshire Post of the emerging plans revealed the scrapping of emergency stroke services at four hospitals were among the cuts being considered.

The PAC report warns Ministers that local bodies are being asked to solve “multiple problems” without a proper understanding of what can be achieved.

Tensions between NHS England’s chief executive Simon Stevens and Downing Street have become public in recent weeks with Prime Minister Theresa May apparently irritated at Mr Stevens continuing to make the case for more money despite the Government injecting extra cash.

PAC chairman Meg Hillier MP said: “Few trusts feel they have a credible plan for meeting the financial targets they have been set by Government. At the same time, the Government seems unable to get its own house in order – plundering NHS investment funds to plug holes elsewhere, and falling out in public over its longer-term strategy.

“Contradictory statements about funding from the Prime Minister and head of NHS England are an insult to taxpayers who deserve an honest, grown-up conversation about future finance and service provision.”

The PAC report calls for a “clear and transparent recovery plan” for parts of the health service in financial trouble and explain the benefits of STPs to the public.

The IPPR analysis suggested the NHS in West Yorkshire will face a £1bn deficit by 2021 unless changes to services are made. Across the Humber and Vale area – including North Yorkshire – the figure is £420m, while in South Yorkshire it is £570m. The funding gap amounts to between £300 and £400 per person across the region.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We are united behind the ambition to make the NHS the safest, highest-quality healthcare system in the world – which also means ensuring financial sustainability for the future, and the hospital sector’s financial position has now improved by £1.3 billion compared to this time last year, with 44 fewer Trusts in deficit.”