CCG saves community hospital beds

Local commissioners have halted cost-cutting plans which would have seen community hospital beds removed. 

As part of a service transformation, Worcestershire Health and Care Trust (WHCT) wanted to remove at least 10% of the county’s 200 community beds. 

The project is expected to save £8 million each year until 2017/18. 

But South Worcestershire clinical commissioning group (CCG) has refused to allow the move to go ahead. 

Despite claims from WHCT that the beds are “surplus to requirements”, the CCG said there is “no desire or enthusiasm” to remove them, telling the trust to come up with another way to save money. 

Both organisations are aiming to reach an agreement before the end of the year, although six months have already passed with no alternative plan decided on. 

Simon Trickett, South Worcestershire CCG’s chief operating officer said: “We didn’t support the original cost improvement plans because they involved closing some community hospital beds.

“This wouldn’t have been in line with our plans that, in basic terms, include making better use of the hospitals by removing some of the barriers to access that currently exist. 

“We’ve been working closely with the trust, the local community and local clinicians over the last few months to develop these ideas and expect to have a five-year plan for each community hospital by the end of December this year.”