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Funding crisis in local hospitals
Accident
and Emergency department could be closed.
The
council's Health and Social Services Scrutiny panel heard during its
meeting last week that Hammersmith Hospital's accident and emergency
department could be closed due a funding crisis in public health care.
The panel meet for discussing the long-term future of healthcare in Hammersmith and Fulham. Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust comprises Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte's and Ravenscourt Park hospitals, treating in total an average of 420,000 patients a year and employing 5,000 staff. The Trust, responsible for the funding of the hospitals in the borough, is short of money and is trying to find ways to cut costs.
According to the scrutiny panel minutes, "the overall position for Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Hounslow health economies is very unsatisfactory with widespread deficits and undiminished demand". Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust has experienced a continued increase in demand and has used all its reserves to cover accumulated deficit.
"The projected deficit will be between £6-7 millions even with the further cost reduction measures", says the document. Although there will be an increase of 9.1% (£16 millions) for 2003/04, more than 70% of the additional funding is needed for inflation costs and virtually all of the remaining funding would be needed to repay the £3.2 millions deficit incurred in 2002/3.
"This leaves virtually nothing to pay for the additional activity reported in our hospitals and the costs of meeting new targets, in particular access targets and the requirements of mental health national framework", says the document.
Among the alternatives for the funding crisis discussed at the meeting was the maintenance of only one A&E department covering the whole borough, instead of the two currently operating at Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals. Although any decision will pass through a public debate before hand, it is thought that Hammersmith Hospital is more likely to lose its A&E since the one at Charing Cross is larger and busier.
September 19, 2003