York Council set to ignore problems in York hospital A&E department?

Residents and patients, expecting an update on problems at the York Hospital A&E department, will be disappointed when they read the agenda for the Heath Scrutiny committee taking place on 14th January.

With the York hospital performing worse than others in the region in meeting A&E targets recently, residents might have expected the committee – which now has responsibility for providing oversight of NHS issues in the City – to have received an update on the latest position.

York hospital amb

It seems that this will not be the case.

This is all the more surprising  as among the causes identified nationally for the A&E problems are lack of beds.

In turn this is blamed on lack of care in the community places for patients to move to when they can be released from hospital. The York Council bears part of the responsibility for providing such care places.

One report does reveal that the Council is still overspending its Adult Social Care budgets by over £1 million. In the main this is put down to delays in implementing the new care homes project. The Lowfields Care village – as has been reported on many occasions – is running 3 years behind schedule.

The report says, “the performance for delayed transfers of care from hospital is showing a small increase in line with the national trend”

Another report comments on the financial position of the York hospital revealing a surplus of £100,000 in 2013/14 (down on the budget expectation which was £2.4 million).

 The hospitals total budget is around £480 million. The hospital is, however, required to make efficiency savings as revealed in its strategic plan.

Another part of the NHS the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group delivered a £2.12 million surplus last year.

Hopefully the chair of this scrutiny committee will respond to public concerns and ensure that an urgent item is added to the committee agenda.

This will allow an update to be given on the current position at the hospital, the reasons for any failures together with proposals which ensure that standards are achieved in the future.

York hospitals crisis prompts call for probe as……..

 …….Liberal Democrats publish plan to invest an extra £8 billion a year in NHS

LibDems NHS graphic Jan 2015

Media reports are suggesting that unprecedented numbers of people have visiting A & E departments at the York and Scarborough hospitals over the last 3 weeks, leading to unacceptable delays in treatment.

The hospital has not published any figures for patient numbers and waiting times recently and the Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for “Health” has offered no comment.

Responsibility for scrutinising the performance of the health service in York now also rests with the York Council but again no statements have been issued and no special meetings scheduled.

Some are claiming that “bed blocking” – discharges from hospitals delayed through lack of spaces in nursing homes – is partly responsible for the crisis.

The hospital management are right to ask people not to misuse A & E services when other options may address their issues.

But more facts  about relative demand levels, together with the publication of up to date performance statistics, would help residents understand the problem rather more than they do now.

The latest Care Quality performance monitoring stats can be downloaded by clicking here (December 2014)

Liberal Democrats to increase NHS funding by £8bn by 2020

Liberal Democrats have today (Tuesday 6 January) set out plans to safeguard the NHS for the future.

NHS funding will increased by at least £8bn per year in real terms by 2020.

The Liberal Democrats are the first party to present a plan to meet the financial needs of the NHS as set out by Simon Stevens, the Chief Executive of NHS England in his Five Year Forward View.

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To achieve this boost in funding by 2020/21, Liberal Democrats will do three things:
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Stop the rot: new campaign highlights how cigarettes ‘rot’ the body from the inside

City of York Council is backing a powerful new campaign that has been launched this week to highlight how smoking damages the body and causes a slow and steady decline in a process akin to rotting.

It follows a new expert review that highlights the multiple impacts that toxic ingredients in cigarettes can have on your body.

Whilst many smokers know that smoking causes cancer and harms the lungs and heart, the new report highlights how it also damages:

  • Bones and muscles – Smoking causes progressive harm to the musculoskeletal system, and has a negative impact on bone mineral density. Harms include:
  • 25% increased risk of any fracture and a 40% increase in the risk of hip fractures among men
  • Slower healing after injury
  • Increased risk of back and neck pain, leading to a 79% increase in chronic back pain and a 114% increase in disabling lower back pain
  • Significant cause of rheumatoid arthritis and can reduce the impact of treatment
  • Brain – Current smokers are 53% more likely to develop cognitive impairment than non-smokers and 59% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease
  • Teeth – Smoking increases the likelihood of tooth loss and decay
  • Eyes – Smoking damages sight by increasing the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 78%-358% and increasing the risk of age-related cataracts

With New Year’s resolutions approaching and two thirds of smokers saying they want to quit, new adverts are being used to graphically illustrate the degeneration that smoking causes.
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IVF treatment re-introduced in York

In Vitro Fertilisation services in the Vale of York

On Thursday 4 December 2104, NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Governing Body formally confirmed the go ahead for plans to provide IVF to couples in the Vale of York. To read more about the CCG’s Governing Body’s decision click here.

The Governing Body agreed to implement a policy of immediate access to one cycle of IVF for individuals that meet the following criteria.
•Female age: 23 – 39 years old (at the time of treatment);
•Female BMI: 19 to 29 female for six months prior to a referral;
•Smoking status: Non-smoking couple for six months prior to a referral;
•Existing children: To not have living or adopted children;
•Relationship: To be in a stable relationship for at least two years;
•Other criteria:
•To have had regular unprotected intercourse (attempts to conceive) for at least two years prior to referral within the same stable relationship;
•Based upon previous treatment history.

The policy reflects the latest guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

Careful consideration will be given to previously eligible couples currently seeking IVF services. To ensure this process is fair and as effective as possible, the CCG is working closely with local Assisted Conception Units to develop a pathway into services.

Anorther high profile officer quits York Council

City of York Council has announced that Paul Edmondson-Jones, the Director of Health and Wellbeing, is leaving the council today in order to pursue opportunities and interests elsewhere.

A Council media release says, “Paul joined the council in 2013 as Director of Public Health to support the transfer of this new statutory service back to the council, at a time of significant change across the health sector.

Paul also took on responsibility for Adult Social Care. Working for the local authority and with the NHS and wider partners, Paul has lead on the responsibility for promoting and protecting health and wellbeing, tackling health inequalities and improving health care quality in the city”.

The Council’s social care programme has been hit by delayed projects, controversial plans to cut meals services for some elderly people as well as major budget overspends.

Recently auditors criticised the Council for failing to provide “value for money“.

The responsible Labour Councillor (Simpson-Laing) was sacked earlier in the year but her inexperienced successor seems to be even more out of her depth, as problems escalate.

10 Minute Shake Up comes to York

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Change4Life and Disney are partnering on a major new campaign – 10 Minute Shake Up – to help encourage the city’s children to get active this summer.

The 10 Minute Shake Up campaign uses a bit of Disney magic to inspire children to reach the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day, with fun, manageable 10 minute bursts of exercise with an aim of getting children across the country moving for an extra 100 million minutes this summer.
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