How to save money without cutting front line staff

The following is the speech I gave to the ERYC full Council this week.

Asset alignment (or asset rationalisation) is all about money, lots and lots of it - NOT what it will cost but how much it will save if organisations came together to share buildings and other assets. It’s a way of not just the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) but other public service providers such as Police, Fire, Health, and the Probation service saving significant amounts of money without cutting frontline services – but for it to work requires a major shift of thinking – a shift of thinking we’ve begun to see within the Council with the transformation agenda.

Needless to say that shift of thinking is not so evident with our public sector partners. They must move away from protectionism and look more towards sharing, they must move away from regionalisation and move more towards localisation and we must reach out to and encourage our partners to join us at the table – to come up with innovative ways of saving money through the sharing of resources.

Many will remember I’ve spoken and blogged on this subject in here before – and to be honest I was expecting (or perhaps hoping for) a little more movement. The ERYC Corporate Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee have tried to deal with this, but sadly little progress has been made mainly due to the partner public service organisations not willing to engage.

A great example of asset alignment is being proposed between Goole College and Goole Hospital in a proposed partnership arrangement between Hull College and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which could see the College first open a campus in underused parts of the Goole and District Hospital site, and eventually relocating completely as the site is extended. With both organisations sharing a modern facility and services.

It is important to recognise this is NOT about closing hospital wards, NOT about cutting services and NOT about reducing the courses offered by the College. It is about fully developing underused and under-utilised areas of the hospital to maximise the use of their estate for the best public value. A great example of what a little bit of radical thinking can come up with when it comes to asset alignment.

So why do Public Service providers not make the best use of their buildings and other assets by sharing with others like we will hopefully see in Goole? I would suggest it is for one simple reason – there is not sufficient will or desire amongst the providers to break out of their individual silos.

So where would the savings be through asset alignment? The obvious cash from the sales of some surplus assets, but then the on-going savings in heating, lighting, power, water, insurance, cleaning, catering, telephones - not to mention backroom staff. But what about pooling and maintenance of vehicles and equipment - and the favourite expenditure I.T?

The key to making asset rationalisation work is changing the mind-set. Elected Members make up the Fire Authority, by far the largest part of the Police Authority, and will have an increasing role in the Health Service. Members do have a role in setting the strategic direction of partner organisations. To really make asset rationalisation work I’m absolutely certain members can play more of a pivotal role in setting the strategic direction of the public service providers in this area – and I urge them to do so and make sure the right people come to the table.

New Beverley Hospital receives final approval from ERYC Planning Committee

I was pleased to be one of the 10 Councillors on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Planning Committee who this week voted through the final details for the go ahead of the new Beverley hospital. I was happy to speak in favour, and move approval for the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale.

I had reservations about the site when the original outline application came before us some months ago, I was very much aware (and still am) that this was not the best site for a new hospital, and did initially raise concerns particularly on the traffic movements along Swinemoor Road and flood risk. But having looked at the information available to members of the Committee it was clear that traffic to and from the site could be accommodated and the risk of flooding managed. I was also led to believe the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust had looked at other sites and options but for one reason or another these had to be discounted.

This meant that the Swinemoor Road Site was the application in front of the Committee and what we had to make a decision on - it was never about selection of sites – there was no choice of sites. I also knew that the funding window was narrow and a decision had to be made.

I indicated that the design may not be one of the best on paper – but design can be subjective and functionality and the impact of the visual environment have to be considered. I drew parallels with the Castle Hill Oncology unit - with which I had serious concerns about the design at the planning stage. But now constructed I feel is a fantastic design concept that incorporates functionality and stunning views ensuring a therapeutic environment for the patients being treated.

Ultimately we will see a new community hospital to the North of Beverley, with relatively easy access not just for Beverley residents but also from as far a field as Hornsea and Driffield.

There are totally different issues surrounding the downsizing of provision at Goole Hospital with which I have serious concerns. Rightly or wrongly this is in a different administrative area under the management of the North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Concerns Raised Over Changes to Dispensing Doctors

A number of Gilberdyke Health Centre patients have raised the issue of the Centre despensary's future.

It is very frustrating when yet again this Labour Government, with its majority of Urban MPs, tries to walk all over rural communities. On the back of it's savage post office closure programme we now see dispensaries as the next target.

Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis has expressed concerns over proposals by the Government to change the way in which doctors can dispense medicines to their patients. Presently, any patient living more than 1 mile away from their doctor’s practice is able to have their medicines dispensed by the doctor, in future it would be the distance from the surgery to the nearest community pharmacy. This could result in the loss of many dispensing practices that provide a vital service in rural communities.

David Davis said:

“This is yet another example of the Government not understanding the needs of our rural communities. In 2006 the 1,170 dispensing practices administered just 7% of prescriptions in England. Many of these doctors used the profit generated from this activity to re-invest in services, for example providing additional healthcare services in remote or under-doctored areas. These changes could put many of those additional services offered by dispensing doctors at risk.

Our dispensing doctors do a great job in rural communities and their services help to strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and also ensure a continuity of care. If dispensing doctors are prohibited from dispensing if a pharmacy is close by, there is a risk that many patients from rural villages could lose access to the most convenient service for them, including arrangements in villages for local collection of prescriptions.

Whilst I welcome Government proposals to remove the anomaly that some medicines could be bought at newsagents but were not available from the GP surgery, I cannot support their proposals to change the distance rules governing dispensing doctors.

I have no problem with an extended community role for local pharmacists but this must not come at the expense of our dispensing doctors. Patients in rural areas need a choice, at the moment anyone receiving a prescription from a dispensing doctor can choose to either have it dispensed at the practice or at a nearby pharmacy. I want to see that choice continue for my constituents.”

Local Labour MP rejoices whilst the East Riding suffers more NHS cuts

Whilst it is very nice, following a number of NHS cuts locally, to see some improved services coming to Goole hospitals I do not feel the rejoicing by Local Labour MP Mr Cawsey in last week's Goole Times told the full story. I think it is worth pointing out that the Primary Care Trust reorganisation across the East Riding has caused great concern in many communities elsewhere such as Driffield, Beverley, Hornsea and Withernsea wherein local residents have taken to the streets in an attempt to protect the loss of beds and the closure of wards at their local hospitals. Whilst it is good news that new services will be coming to Goole it is a shame they are at the expense of health services in other parts of East Yorkshire.

It is as a direct result of his Government’s health policies we have seen the loss of the Rivers Ward at the Goole Hospital, the proposed closure of the Bartholomew House Unit in Goole, a reduction in the out of hours GP cover at Goole Hospital and the negative re-organisation of the midwifery team at Goole Hospital who now have to cover a much larger area with fewer staff.

Mr Cawsey would be well advised to remember that whilst improvements to our local hospital is undoubtedly good news for Goole, there are still people in Hornsea, Driffield and Withernsea who are desperately fighting the PCT’s proposals to remove hospital beds and his government should be doing more to secure facilities for ALL our communities.

Stop the NHS Cuts

Paul Robinson, Doreen Engall and Charlie Bayram

with the NHS petition in Holme on Spalding Moor

Howdenshire MP DAVID DAVIS explains, “The last few months have seen the announcement of a number of cuts to local health services in our area. There are presently proposals to close the rivers Ward at Goole Hospital and to reorganise midwifery services from Goole Hospital. Other local cuts have seen a reduction in the number of NHS dentists.

I recently signed an early day motion in the House of Commons calling on the government to protect Multiple Sclerosis Nurses who could well be the next victim of Mr Brown’s axe. Our Doctors and Nurses work extremely hard and need our support. I have therefore launched an NHS petition which is part of a national campaign demanding an end to the cuts.”

PAUL ROBINSON adds, “I recently met with David Davis MP to discuss local health service matters. The Government has repeatedly reorganised the structure of the NHS at great expense. The simple truth is that far too much of the extra money has been spent on government driven reorganisations, rather than on improving patient care.”