Bed worries at super-hospital
MORE beds could be drafted into North Staffordshire's new super-hospital amid fears there will not be enough.
Government officials sanctioned the £400 million rebuilding of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire two years ago, but only after cutting bed numbers by 250 to 1,118.
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They made the cuts based on predictions from 2004 that 118,000 more outpatients a year would be treated in community clinics rather than the hospital by 2012.
But there are fears that the community hospitals and clinics will not be able to cope with the outpatient numbers.
Now top executives running North Staffordshire's healthcare are meeting to see how many more beds and community services are needed.
The beds review comes as the super-hospital's building programme director raised concerns about the lower bed numbers. In a report to University Hospital directors, Mr David Pitt said: "There is still time to change planned activity levels but the impact on the programme will depend on the rate of that change. The impact on the overall programme's affordability will also need to be assessed."
Sentinel readers have campaigned for a new hospital for more than a decade and sent a 19,000-name petition to Downing Street demanding action.
But the size of the hospital had to be scaled back in 2006 after building costs spiralled to £430 million.
Confirming the beds summit, University Hospital chief executive Julia Bridgewater, pictured, said: "We can be flexible on bed numbers and have already put in more critical care and maternity beds than we had planned. But there is a limit to that and not all solutions lie with the hospital – there also has to be the right intermediate care capacity in the community. My concern is the hospital will end up with the problems if that capacity is not found."
Patient John Payne added: "We are in great danger of having a beautiful new hospital with not enough beds."
The first two parts of the super-hospital – the cancer centre and maternity block – opened earlier this year with the rest following in late 2012.
Hospital gearing up for brand new era
New cancer care unit the 'best there is'
Revealed: The first part of region's new super-hospital
Story filed in: University Hospital of North Staffordshire | Health | News
Comments
by Ranting, Talke
Tuesday, July 28 2009, 5:15PM
“Anyone else noticed but there¿s a theme here. Yet more vastly over paid, so-called experts getting in wrong. It¿s would appear the governments gravy train is still running full steam ahead, despite all the rhetoric to the contrary.
Perhaps these nameless faceless people who make major decisions on our behalf should make use of the neurology or psychiatric departments of the new hospital. It¿s clear that they have problems when it comes to using their brain.
It doesn¿t take a genius to work out that if you¿re building a hospital for the future you should increase it¿s capacity not reduce it. Every tabloid paper you read if full of facts and figures telling us that the UK is an aging population and the diseases that come with old age are on the increase. Add to that the epidemic of obesity that¿s heading our way, with increased numbers of diabetics, heart disease and cancers.
Seem common sense that if you are given the opportunity to build a new hospital you¿d increase the number of beds, not reduce them. With regards to overspending £400-430 million sounds a barging, less than 10% overspend. That figure would embarrass many a government department, if they get it right within 50% they¿re doing well. Plus I¿ve never, ever heard the phrase ¿This hospital has too many empty beds¿
Do they not realise that for every pound they don¿t spend today, it¿s going to cost them £10-20 in a few years time when they try to put it right.”