News | Health
£26m injection KENT will receive a much-needed £26m cash injection from the gov- ernment to help meet the growing cost of caring for the elderly. The financial assistance, an- nounced in the Chancellor’s spring budget, will be paid in this April. The county council’s leader Paul Carter said it was clear the money will help, with the cost of adult so- cial care accounting for about 40% of the council’s overall expenditure. However, he said, the gap in fund- ing would remain a challenge. He welcomed a government Green Paper to explore new sustain- able funding streams for social care, which will cost KCC about £364m.
Cancer acesss FASTER cancer investigation and treatment are planned for local pa- tients by NHS West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group. A new Direct Access Pathway means GPs will be able to to send patients for a scan or an X-ray, rather than refer them to a consultant. Most patients are sent to Maid- stone Hospital on 4-6 weeks path- ways with a 62-day target to begin the first definitive treatment. The local hospital trust achieved only 78% of this target in December. But the two-week wait achievement in December at 95.1% was above the national standard.
downsmail.co.uk
Consulation over plans for improved services
By Dennis Fowle
LOCAL NHS health services, from GPs to hospitals and much more, are set for major changes and pub- lic consultations have now started. The first Kent andMedway public meeting under the national plan to transform health and social carewas held at the Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone, by theGP-ledNHSWest Kent Clinical Commissioning Group. Now group chairman Dr Bob
Bowes says the plan must be writ- ten.
Outlining the key problems, he
said the Kent and Medway popula- tion will increase by 24% in the next 20 years, with many more over75s. With medical advances come greater expectations (and costs). One in three live with long-term illnesses, 18% smoke, 27% do not get enough exercise, 10% are obese and one in four have mental health problems. About one in three (total 1,000) in hospital no longer need acute hospi- tal treatment at a time when there is a severe shortage of nurses, doctors and other staff. The area’s health and
social care budget is overspent by £110m this year and that could grow to £486m by 2020/21. The current review is widespread.
The spotlight will certainly fall on: GP services The county needs an- other 245 GPs and the shortages are starting to hit hard. A practice of five GPs at Iwade (Swale) now has none. Some patients cannot register with a practice; others cannot book timely appointments. In West Kent, practices are now grouped in clusters to increase effi- ciency and support each other. These could develop in to much closer relationships. The future could be based on a practice in Whit- stable with many GPs, five man- agers and support staff and specialist services in one building.
Hospital services A review is under way of services in Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Medway hos- pitals and changes are set to improve quality and cost-effectiveness. All three have stroke units but with a shortage of specialist consult- ants and staff, this service is likely to be concentrated in one place. As pa- tient journeys of more than an hour will not be permitted, Maidstone could become the central point. Maidstone is seen as a vital oncol- ogy centre and is likely to continue. The meeting heard that many services were centralised in Maid- stone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust area when Pembury hospital opened, well ahead of the review. No statements have been made yet about the A&E departments. They are known to be under growing pa- tient pressure, partly linked to the shortage of GPs. There are plans to improve efficiency, but there ap- pears to be no public appetite for a reduction in the A&E offer. Dr Bowes warned: “There are great challenges ahead. We must look at all options.”
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Maidstone Weald April 2017
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