SENDING stroke victims to Coventry has been branded a joke by healthcare campaigners.
The first stage of the Coventry and Warwickshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) – which covers NHS spending over the next five years in a bid to save £267million – has seen proposals to increase beds at University Hospital Coventry. If given the green light an extra six ‘hyper-acute’ care beds will be made available for those who have just suffered a stroke – taking the total beds up to 12.
But the hospital would also have to cater for patients across Warwickshire, where services have been cut.
George Eliot in Nuneaton, Warwick Hospital and Rugby St Cross would lose 36 stroke beds between them.
All patients will instead be taken to UHCW where there will also be 31specialist beds – just one more than the 30 it previously had.
Rehabilitation beds will be provided at Leamington Hospital, which will lose one bed taking its total to 19, and George Eliot Hospital will also have 20 beds. These would both cater for patients from across Warwickshire.
The result of the cost-cutting would see most care delivered in the community and STP bosses plan to focus more on stroke prevention for those at risk.
But campaign group South Warwickshire Keep Our NHS Public (SWKONP) fear the consequences of the cuts to Coventry and Warwickshire’s stroke service
Chairwoman Professor Anna Pollert said: “The plan is about cuts, and more ‘care in the community’ – with no mention of how this will be staffed and funding.
“The loss of acute stroke care across Warwickshire means people will have to travel further to visit those recovering in hospital. The CCGs’ answer is ‘We may provide a leaflet about transport options you can choose’. This is a joke.
“The engagement document does not explain how an already overcrowded UHCW can cope with more patients, and one fears that patients will be discharged too early. Who will care of them at home? ‘Care in the community’ usually means unpaid carers.
“The cuts in stroke care are part of the planned cuts of £267 million by 2020 in Coventry and Warwickshire – and SWKONP will oppose these all the way.”
The plans have been devised by local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) from across Coventry and Warwickshire.
They say changes have to be made as the service differed so much across the county and they could not ‘guarantee every patient is receiving the best possible care’.
CCG chair Dr David Spraggett said: “When it comes to improving stroke services locally, it is our aim to provide better patient care and a better quality of life for local people after they have had a stroke or mini-stroke.
“Following our earlier engagement, and testing our proposals out with national stroke experts last year, we are now looking for the public’s views on the next stage of our planning. Their feedback will help us develop options for consultation.”
Patients are being urged to have their say on the plans before July 16 by completing an online questionnaire at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NHSstrokeservices or calling 0121 611 0231 for a hard copies or with any queries.
