LIFE-SAVING pancreatic and liver services at Coventry’s University Hospital could be lost, MPs fear.
A cross-party group of MPs – including three from Coventry – has signed a letter to health secretary Matt Hancock outlining opposition to any such proposals in future arrangements with Birmingham.
They fear ‘joint model’ proposals could lead to the closure of services in Coventry and their transfer to Birmingham, which would would mean longer journey times and operation cancellations.
But University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) has played down the claims, amid proposals for partnership working with University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB).
The trust says conversations over a ‘joint model’ for surgery are progressing after a review in 2015 found UHCW should be treating more patients.
The letter has been spearheaded by Coventry North West MP Jim Cunningham who voiced his fears in the House of Commons yesterday (June 17).
He said: “Proposals to shut down this extremely successful department will be a great loss to the NHS.”
He added: “The proposals demonstrate more short-sighted, efficiency-obsessed thinking from NHS England.
“… The journey time for patients who currently use the service at UHCW and live outside Coventry, in rural areas out of the reach of public transport, will be considerably longer and the journey will be considerably more expensive.
“… Once patients have made the hour-long, or hours-long, journey to UHB, there will be a good chance that their treatment will be cancelled or delayed.
“… UHCW will inevitably lose its most skilled doctors and staff, and see the disintegration of the team, service and leadership that the unit has spent so long building.”
If the arrangement is agreed, the MPs say people needing urgent liver transplants would be prioritised at UHB – which specialises in such treatment.
Therefore other pancreatic or less serious conditions – usually catered for at UHCW – could see cancellations and delays, they say, with particular fears expressed over those suffering pancreatic cancer.
They also expressed fears about capacity at UHB and an extra strain services the changes could cause.
Junior minister for health Stephen Hammond responded: “I understand that, over the past two years, teams in both trusts have been discussing how to work together with a view to creating a single point of access and shared multidisciplinary teams for HPB (Hepato-Pancreato-Biliar) in the local area. Both trusts have agreed that the most complex services should be conducted on University Hospitals Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth site.
“I can confirm that there are currently no plans to transfer HPB cancer services away from UHCW trust.”
A statement from Professor Andy Hardy, chief executive officer of UHCW NHS Trust, reads: “For pancreatic and liver surgery, we are working in partnership with colleagues at UHB to deliver a joint model of care involving both hospitals and all HPB (Hepato-Pancreato-Biliar) clinical specialists.
“This will make the best use of NHS resources and expertise for patients across the West Midlands.”
A spokesperson for UHB NHS Foundation Trust said: “Discussions remain ongoing between UHCW and UHB as to how best deliver a shared care model that improves outcomes for all liver and pancreatic patients across the region. This is in line with the recommendations of the West Midlands Clinical Senate and NHS England.
“UHB has expanded its capacity for liver and pancreatic surgery with a dedicated transplant theatre, allowing for the reduction of elective cancellations.”
