16/02/10

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been working on its plans to make savings of £27 - £30 million in the financial year 2010/11, required because of the national economic position which is seeing reductions in public sector spending for the foreseeable future.

This week, plans have been discussed with staff about the phased closure of 150 – 200 beds across the Trust, with the first phase beginning on April 1st this year.

Reducing beds is an important part of the Trust’s plans to make the savings, alongside:

• better arrangements for discharging patients who are ready to leave
• reducing the number of people who fail to attend their outpatient appointments
• and making full efficient use of outpatient clinics and theatre sessions

So, at the same time as closing some beds and reconfiguring services, staff will be making changes to the way they work so that the Trust can provide more efficient services.

The first phase of ward moves and bed closures will see the closure of 95 beds across one rehabilitation ward, Ward 2A, Acute Care Unit B and Neurology at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, from April 1st.

Staff are being kept up to date about the changes in briefing sessions which were being held on Wednesday (February 17th). In the briefings staff received more explanation about the background to the changes, the timescales and what staff can expect. Reassurances are being given that the Trust will not expect to make redundancies but will be looking to redeploy staff.

Chief Executive Dr Frank Harsent said: “The position for 2010/11 is shaped by the national economic situation and I have been briefing groups of staff about this since the middle of January.

“Our staff will be pulling together to provide the most efficient service possible while also continuing to protect the quality of our services and the wellbeing and experience of our patients, which remains one of our highest priorities.”

He added: “We have no choice but to make these savings of £27 - £30million, we do not have the right to spend taxpayers’ money that we have not been given and in order to make the savings, these plans have to be ready to begin making a difference from the start of the financial year, April 1st 2010.