NHS plans bashed over cancer and heart disease
pharmafile | December 24, 2014 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Cancer, England, NHS, Simon Stevens, funding, heart
Hundreds of healthcare experts have signed an open letter to NHS chief executive Simon Stevens calling for him to scrap reduced funding plans due in April.
According to the Telegraph newspaper, not reversing the plans would mean patients with cancer and heart disease will suffer ‘needless deaths’.
Under the controversial proposals hospitals that provide dedicated care to more patients than expected will only be reimbursed for half of the cost of each extra case.
But doctors claim the NHS England proposals that are aimed at diverting cash to long-term disease prevention and making specialist care more cost-effective – will be devastating, as the number of cases rises along with the UK’s ageing population.
However, NHS England says these services have already seen a big increase in funding and that the body channels taxpayers’ money to the NHS trusts that provide services.
Its proposals that are due to be implemented in April – aim to restrain a growth in spending in this area, with NHS England saying providers had seen their incomes rise by more than £1 billion over two years.
Dr David Rosser who is a medical director at University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation trust, and the lead author of the letter, says he is deeply concerned about these proposals however – which are ‘destructive’ and based on a failed strategy to shift services into the community.
According to the Telegraph the letter says hospitals will be forced to turn patients away or make staffing cuts – resulting in longer waiting times.
“The clinical consequences of these longer waiting times and a lower quality service to patients with conditions such as heart disease, liver disease, leukaemia, complex cancers etc will be severe,” it cautions.
“There will inevitably be a significant number of patients suffering unnecessarily, for example by needing more extensive surgery due to their cancer progressing during the wait.”
The letter is signed by 345 doctors from organisations including University Hospitals Birmingham, University College Hospital London and Cambridge University Hospitals. Consultation on the proposal is due to end today.
Brett Wells
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