Have the residents of Huntingdonshire been told the truth about the future of Hinchingbrooke Hospital? – we at Hands off Hinchingbrooke don’t think so and this is why
Throughout the so called consultation process; both the Outline and Full Business Case for Hinchingbrooke Hospital being acquired by Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust it has been constantly maintained that Hinchingbrooke Hospital would be preserved as a District General Hospital.
We maintain that Hinchingbrooke Hospital will become an elective surgery hub for ‘low complexity’ orthopaedic surgery, with trauma cases going to Addenbrookes or Peterborough City Hospital. We forecast that emergency and elective ENT surgery will eventually also go to one of the other county hospitals. We believe that these changes will eventually obviate the need for medical staff to work ‘Out of Hours’ at Hinchingbrooke Hospital
We absolutely accept that the STP does not directly state that A&E will become an Urgent Care Centre, however in reality this is what we believe will happen relatively quickly. Once a hospital loses its A&E Department the loss of other specialities tend to follow.
So once again are we Scaremongering? Our campaign group do not believe we are. The financial aspects of the STP have not been released despite requests. This details where the axe will fall on service provision in the county between health and social care. Their has been no public consultation on the footprint of the STP but the facts remain:-
The Cambridgeshire Commissioning Group (CCG) have a reported deficit of £504m which they must save by 2020. This equates to £125m for each year – effectively 11% of its budget.
Why no public engagement on where these savage savings are to fall? Hinchingbrooke Board are aware of the savings to be made. Indeed a number of Boards Members were actively engaged in assisting to produce the STP, so why are they not telling you – the people of Huntingdonshire?
We believe the reasons for their concealment is because they don’t want you to know. So we issue this challenge to the CCG and Hinchingbrooke Hospital Board. Prove us wrong by issuing the full Financial and Estates impact of the STP to the public in layman terms.
Then the public will judge
Our Sustainability and Transformation Plan, published in November, details the £504m savings challenge for the county, to be achieved by 2020/21. This figure is the individual NHS trusts and system-wide predicted ‘do nothing’ deficit, which must be addressed by all organisations, including Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust, over the next four years.
The initial plan to make £548m savings is shown in Appendix 8 of the STP (available on http://www.fitforfuture.org.uk). Led by chief executives, delivery groups, made up of colleagues from across the trusts and local authorities, are developing the savings plans. Part of their plans may involve investment to make savings, others may require a review of patient pathways to make them more efficient.
We can’t do this alone, and we welcome patient, carer and public involvement in making these plans. We will engage the public on the plans, and all will be able to have a say in key decisions, including formal consultation. Anyone who wants to help us in this work can contact us on [email protected]
The plan to develop the Hinchingbrooke Hospital site was discussed at the Trust’s board meeting on 1 June 2016, where the Full Business Case for the Strategic Estate Partnership was approved. Full details of the business case and the subsequent development of the programme can be followed on the Trust’s website http://www.hinchingbrooke.nhs.uk.
David Astley
Independent Chair
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Sustainability and Transformation Plan