Government slammed over NHS cuts including services for the elderly that will put patients’ live at risks
Hospital and ward closures, a reduction in bed numbers and a review of GP surgeries are all outlined in the plans
THE Government has been slammed over NHS cost-cutting plans that put patients’ lives at risk.
Campaign group 38 Degrees revealed health chiefs have drawn up a list of departments to close.
Under threat are A&E units and services for the elderly which may be centralised, forcing patients to travel further.
Hospital and ward closures, a reduction in bed numbers and a review of GP surgeries are all outlined in the sustainability and transformation plans.
The NHS in England faces a £20billion shortfall by 2020/21 if the current deficit is not tackled.
Dr Mark Porter, from the British Medical Association, said: “This is a consequence of a health service which is cripplingly underfunded.
“Hospitals and GP surgeries are at breaking point, waiting times too high, crushing pressure on mental health services and cuts to the public health budget.
“The majority of trusts are in the red. The NHS doesn’t have enough staff or resources to meet demands.”
Lara Carmona, of the Royal College of Nurses, said: “Staff, patients and loved ones can see cracks widening in the NHS.”
Stephen Dalton, of NHS Confederation, argued the plans were not about cuts but modernising services.
He said: “These local plans are being made when funding is very tight but they are not about cuts – they are about modernising services to match people’s changing care needs.
“It is inevitable during such important changes that some services will be moved, reduced or enhanced.
“It is too simplistic to focus only on what appears to be lost. It’s also important to look at what alternatives are being provided.”
Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, a GP and chair of the Commons health committee, said: “There is a very strong case for saying that the health service now needs more money.”