“DISMAL” – that’s the verdict on the performance of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust by Save the Alex chairman Neal Stote in 2016.
Reflecting on a year that’s seen the in-patient paediatric ward closed at the Alex, leaked plans to centre emergency care in Worcester, consultants resigning, Care Quality Commission inspections, X-ray scandals and doctors accused of shuttling patients through their own private clinics – to name a few – Mr Stote doesn’t have high hopes of things improving in 2017.
“The consultation (on the future of acute health care in Worcestershire) is meant to start on January 3 – where are the papers? Nothing has been issued, it’s a complete shambles,” he said.
“They’re relying on £29million being released to fund it all, but that’s been put on hold – what’s going to happen if it doesn’t materialise? Are we going to bumble along like we have done for another 12 months? Where’s plan B?
“The trust programme board, the West Midlands Clinical Senate, the Clinical Commissioning Groups, the Government, the NHS, the lot of them, basically since January 2012 we’ve been waiting for them to come up with something and it’ll soon be January 2017 with nothing agreed and no plan to take forward. Now, if that isn’t a definition of failure, what is?”
His frustration at the lack of progress is palpable and although he acknowledges that health trusts up and down the country are struggling with rising demand and limited resources, he says that by and large the trust has been the author of its own mishaps.
“You cannot believe a word they say – look at paediatrics at the Alex – they said it’s not needed because it’s only running at 21 per cent capacity and they can expand to meet demand – next thing you know there are reports of them sending sick children to Dudley and Coventry because they can’t cope.
“It’s all very depressing – we told them they didn’t have the capacity, we told them you have not thought about access and now look at them.
“The new Sustainability and Transformation Plan is all about care in the community and care closer to home and here you have people going to Dudley and Coventry.”
He is equally scathing about local MP Karen Lumley’s pledge to bring health minister Philip Dunne to the Alex to push the care for more investment.
“How many more government ministers have to visit the Alex before the message is heard – they are just not listening.”
