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Trust looking for efficiency savings
FINANCIAL challenges affecting local health services were high- lighted at a meeting of the GP-led NHSWest Kent Clinical Commis- sioning Group. The group, which currently has
an annual budget of about £500m, is investigating how to save about £20m (4%) in 2016/17. An alloca- tion from the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer’s increasedNHSbudget in his Autumn Statement would re- duce the level of cuts. However, the group has identi-
fied a £60m deficit in theWest Kent health economy by 2018 if nothing is done, and it fears additional pres- sures from an ageing population make that figure look optimistic. The group said: “Efficient deliv-
ery is vital ifwe are to catch up and deliver on our current financial commitment and to avoid long- term decay of health services in West Kent.” It calls for bold deci- sions in applying limited resources most effectively. Although many factors are cur-
rently unknown, the meeting was told the scale of challengewas con- siderable and would require strong leadership and resolve from clini- cians and managers across the whole West Kent health system. Providers are to be alerted “so as not to shock”. The group is concerned that pressures on the national social care budget will continue to affect NHSservices, especially relating to unavailability of hospital beds, be- cause patients cannot be satisfacto- rily discharged. The group says the health and social care systems need to come together in a differ- entway and take responsibility for their own contributions. One suggestion put to the meet-
ing is that the 2016/17 contract with the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospital Trust should spec- ify a reduced level of elective ac- tivity, which would reduce the number of operations such as knee and hip replacements. This is not CCG policy.
Patient care plans online
MORE than 1,000 individual per- sonal care plans, previously re- stricted to GPs surgeries, are now available on the West Kent com- puterised management system. The patient information is now
available to complex care nurses and adult social care, and West KentNHSClinical Commissioning Group (CCG) hopes to extend this to such services as mental health, hospital teams, care homes, urgent care services, intensive support
Winter peaks
WEST Kent CCG is working with the emergency care inten- sive support team to improve flow, safety and effectiveness of urgent and emergency care. The CCG said: “The risk of
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overcrowding in the two hos- pitals and emergency depart- ments is high and this can have a profound and detrimental impact on patient outcomes and patient and staff experi- ence.” The priority is to increase ca-
pacity in the two hospitals by reducing length of stay for in- patients, providing additional ambulatory care function and increasing bed capacity. The report added: “Staff be-
come weary of working in a state of constant escalation and an environment of potential risk to patients.”
teams, acute pharmacists, hospices and the ambulance service. The information, available on a
secure data network, informs ap- proved professionals of patients’ care plans, enabling urgent assess- ment of problems and needs. Patients must authorise transfer
of this data to the system and pro- fessionals require patient authority to access it on every occasion, un- less it is not possible in an emer- gency.
111 call failures
THE quality of the NHS 111 tele- phone service provided by South East Coast Ambulance Service is causing increased concerns. Call-answering in 60 seconds per- formed at 79.2% (target 95%) in September with a decline evident since April. Call-back times were slower than at any time since Au- gust 2014. The CCG was told there was a shortage of clinical advisers.
Food for thought
MAIDSTONEandTunbridgeWells NHS Trust says it has identified an increase in complaints about nutri- tion and hydration. It is auditing notes and observations of meal times.
Staff boost STOCKETT Lane Surgery in Cox- heath says taking on two full-time pharmacists has had a positive impact on running the practice.
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