Next Gen News

patients will soon feel the weight of the funding crisis in health care unless they take difficult decisions are made for hospitals

I was relieved last week to see the government finds that the pressure on Social Security caused by offers in the Private Finance Initiative. However, these provisions on the expenditure of some £ 1.5 billion a year. By far the biggest problem of money that the NHS faces is 20 billion pounds of efficiency gains, we must find the year 2015, which means that our finances are more pressure than ever.

We are facing a budget flat while demand for services is increasing above the inflation rate due to the aging population and rising costs of technology. The NHS pay the bill, often 70% of the budget of a health trust, seems untenable in its current form -. Despite the wage freeze, employers face an upward pressure on the costs of paying bills by 2.4% next year

In the last decade, the government could comply with these pressures by raising taxes. However, this option is not available and, gradually, there are tangible signs of tension in the system. People are waiting longer for treatment of trusts struggle to maintain waiting lists within the target. Foundation Trusts are lagging behind in financial compliance, according to regulator Monitor.

health organizations recently made a clear warning: 53% of respondents to our annual survey of people who manage the access of NHS patients thought - including wait times - in the worst next 12 months. Some warned that the quality of care that suffering in general. Forty-two percent said their organization is facing the worst financial situation he had ever known.

I am deeply concerned by the seriousness of this problem for the NHS is not well known by patients and the public. If we are not clear on this point with the public, which has no mandate for the necessary change. There is a real risk sleepwalking into a financial crisis that patients will feel the brunt. This could see the NHS to cut the sausage forced his way out of financial problems, reduce services and the use of less effective treatments.

But that future is not predetermined. There are three scenarios: NHS maintains standards of service, but filed for bankruptcy as it does, but he sees slipping standards, but maintains financial balance, or continues to improve and remains in the dark

Obviously, we all want the third option. But only if the NHS can get free resources to meet growing demand. This means radically reorient services to reduce hospital stay and offers new forms of care. Basically, this means fewer hospital beds and fewer jobs.

This should not be as painful as it sounds. For example, the data show that we can improve care if we concentrate some specialist services in major centers. This could mean that surgeons to perform complex operations on a more regular and better results.

main political support. There is no doubt that the NHS needs to improve in making the case for change. But without political support to pass the tough decisions and do that in practice, no matter the least.

NHS bodies up and down the land have plans for much needed changes to services. Many involve difficult decisions about the number of employees and the closure of some hospital services. All require adequate monitoring and counseling - which is very important. But we can not afford to drag the decision for almost two decades as has happened in the Chase Farm Hospital in north London. That served the interests of person and must never happen again.

Chase Farm
hope to try a test case because it is the kind of change that is fundamental to the NHS is to maintain the level during your stay in financial balance.