Nurse speaks out over hospital bed cuts
Proposed cuts to hospital beds will see more patients queuing in corridors, according to a county nurse.
The claim comes as NHS watchdog Monitor said it was assessing the trust’s board.
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Yvonne Reeves
Gloucestershire’s hospitals trust has proposed closing up to 200 beds across Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal as part of a plan to save between £27 million and £30 million in the next financial year.
Speaking at a meeting of the county council’s health, community and care overview and scrutiny committee, Yvonne Reeves said: “As a night sister I spend much of my time trying to get patients into acute beds at night.”
The nurse, who is a member of the Royal College of Nursing, said proposed cuts involving an acute ward at Gloucester’s hospital would lead to the loss of nine cardiology beds.
Speaking in front of health bosses at Shire Hall this week, she said: “I have concerns that will increase our waiting times and will mean more patients in the corridor queuing.”
Her comments came after a national survey of nurses for Nursing Times suggested patients were routinely treated in TV rooms and mop cupboards because hospitals are full.
Yvonne said: “My concern is you might be lucky to find a cupboard if these cuts go through.”
This week regulatory body Monitor said the trust was still in breach of its authorisation.
Last October it was given a red rating for missing targets, notably relating to the performance of its accident and emergency departments in Cheltenham and Gloucester.
A spokesman for Monitor said: “Should the trust fail to effectively design and implement the appropriate solutions to achieve this, it is likely our board will consider intervention a necessary course of action.”
Intervention can include changing the trust leadership.
Mike O‘Brien, Minister of State for Health Services, has criticised the trust again over its proposals to close beds – which have been put on hold for a consultation.
Speaking on a news programme, he said: “I’m concerned about the approach that has been adopted at Gloucester – it seems to reflect the approach they tried a few years ago to try and get some extra money.”
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it was committed to providing high quality care.
Evelyn Barker, assistant chief executive and director of service delivery, said: “We do not treat patients in corridors or cupboards as some of the anecdotal evidence in the national report in the Nursing Times survey suggested.”
Chief executive of NHS Gloucestershire, Jan Stubbings said: “As a commissioner of local health services we need to assure ourselves that any changes continue to support timely access to services and deliver high quality care and safe services for patients.
“We believe it is right to consider future plans alongside advancements in medicine and the changing nature of healthcare and service delivery.
“A greater proportion of hospital patients are being safely treated as day cases than in the past and a greater range of rehabilitation services are now provided in community hospitals and other community settings. We do agree that change is necessary and that bed occupancy and numbers should be considered as part of this.”
19 Comments
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by Ivor Haddit, Glos
Tuesday, March 16 2010, 9:40PM
“Like many of the other posters here- I'm have lots of 'insider' information and am reluctant to disclose identity for fear of reprisal with the management culture which prevails in this Trust.
There is no doubt patients are treated in any available area and Evelyn Barker is extremely disingenuous when she says patients aren't cared for in corridors etc. Clearly they are - indeed 'corridor nurses' are regularly booked to care for patients in corridors! How can we trust people like this who are clearly in denial of reality from their hallucinogenic ivory towers. I fully support the calls for her and Harsent to go - they are not trustworthy, bullies and dont care about patients.
Yvonne is to be applauded for her brave stance in highlighting this issue, indeed we need more nurses like her in the important roles to restore patient and public confidence in this Trust.
Just a couple of further points though.
1) There is a deafening silence from the Executive Director of Nursing Maggie Arnold - Come on Maggie (I trust YOU at least) support your nurses, patients and the service - YOU should be the primary patient advocate here! However; is Maggie perhaps being bullied to 'tow the line as well'?
2) The Unions are also suspiciously quiet - other than the RCN through Yvonne - WHY?
3)The public are the most powerful driver to achieve change - there's a general election coming soon. Anybody raised this with MPs? I dont see much evidence of this on political agendas locally. Why not? Seems we're all interested and animated in the safety of electronic chat sites and newspapers - but WE, as the public have a responsibility to take this forward now. Yvonne has bravely raised it-we cant expect her to take it forward alone on our behalves!!! So who's gonna do something?
4) As an example of our crass irresponsibility in expecting others to do things for us and fight our fights - where were you when the overview/Scrutiny meeting was held? I dont recall much of a workforce presence at Shire Hall along with Yvonne other than a handful of local activists!!!
To conclude: Dont become complacent and let this lose steam-keep it boiling away. But DONT expect Yvonne to do it all and on her own. YOU can take some responsibility and start acting yourself. Engage locally and demand that your unions get working better.Speak to councillors and prospective MPs - make this the hot topic-that means acting yourself and not just commenting in forums like this. Get real-get active!”
by Carole, GRH worker
Thursday, March 11 2010, 11:26PM
“Milly... I hope he is penning his resignation, allegedly Frank Harsents offices have just had a face lift costing Jo Public £50,000- £60,000.
Yvonne ..... Go for it”
by Save The NHS, No Understand English
Thursday, March 11 2010, 10:36PM
“God help the NHS. Britain is sticking rigidly to EU rules that outlaw checks on foreign doctors' ¿Language Skills¿ while France flouts them. Health minister Mike O'Brien concedes we are 'stuck' with the rules for two years. The GMC, which regulates doctors, also revealed the French get around the ban by not having tests as such, but by inviting prospective foreign GPs in for interview to check their language skills. Why does Britain not Adopt the same precautions? Why must British Taxpayers pay to employ doctors who cannot speak English. Answer E.U Bureaucrats and mindless Labour Ministers”
by Compassionate care, The front line
Thursday, March 11 2010, 10:00PM
“Unfortunately this is a systemic problem. The introduction of the business model into the public services has resulted in just this sort of fiasco. The sort of people that are appointed to executive positions are appointed because they are the sort of people that can do a hatchet job without any compunction. Further more the further they go up the ladder the more they are indoctrinated into the philosophy of "the competitive edge". What we require is the money wasting privitising, purchaser - provider split to be dissolved and a return to some sort of democratic accountability. Most people do not have a clue what goes on behind the scenes in the NHS - you are not allowed to as there is no honesty. It would be far better for people to be told the truth - if services can not be afforded then people should be told so that they can hold their elected representatives to book and let them know that they want quality services provided by compassionate people who are not interested in bonusses.”
by Cliffrat, Stonehouse
Thursday, March 11 2010, 8:54PM
“Maybe I'm paranoid but that does not mean THEY are not out to get me - wonder if the current visiting and admissions restrictions in GRH allegedly due to D&V bugs are really a sneaky way of "managing" with fewer beds, namely those that are not refilled in wards 'closed' by the bug to, uh, '''prove''' that they were beds not really needed?? OK it is only speculation but if I can think of it then bet the Machiavellis in sort of 'charge' thought of it first.”