News story

22nd December 2003

MP Attacks Large-Scale Cuts in Beds at Local Hospitals

Northavon MP Steve Webb has condemned plans being drawn up by local health chiefs for a substantial reduction in beds at North Bristol NHS Trust. The MP has exposed plans to cut nearly 200 beds by North Bristol NHS Trust over the next decade — despite a predicted rise of almost one fifth in the population of North Bristol & South Gloucestershire over the same period. The MP has now written to the Secretary of State for Health urging him not to accept any plans that involve major bed cuts.

At present, North Bristol NHS Trust has 1,628 beds, mainly at Southmead and Frenchay Hospitals. Plans to transfer children’s services to the Children’s Hospital and other reallocations of services mean that the baseline beds figure for the new plan is 1,563. But a document now at the “final draft” stage being prepared by North Bristol NHS Trust and the local Primary Care Trusts, proposes to cut that number by 197 to just 1,366—a cut of one in eight beds. The same document admits that population pressures would lead to an 18% increase in beds—or an extra 281. By not providing these 281 beds, and by cutting a further 197, the area will therefore be 478 beds short of what would be needed to provide today’s pattern and level of service.

Local MP Steve Webb, whose constituency includes Frenchay Hospital, has hit out at the plans:

“Time and again, I hear from constituents whose operations have been cancelled because there were not enough beds. The idea that we should not only ignore population pressures but then cut another 200 beds on top defies belief. No-one is saying that services should be set in stone, but this looks to me like a desperate attempt to make the money add up for a private finance bid.

“The Trust is hoping that it can create more capacity by getting people through more quickly, but what happens if they fail? We will be left with longer waiting times and more cancelled operations. This cannot be a sensible basis on which to plan for the long-term."

The population statistics contained in the document show that the number of people aged over 65 in South Gloucestershire alone will rise by 52% by 2020, and the number aged over 75 will rise by 56% over the same period.


Note to editors:

The bed plans are contained in the final draft of the “North Bristol and South Gloucestershire Strategic Outline Case”, which was considered by the South Gloucestershire PCT at its board meeting on 17th December. Table 6 on page 12 shows the 2002/03 baseline number of beds as being 1563 after allowing for movements of services between trusts. It shows the “impact of performance change” as being –197 beds, leaving a projected figure of 1,366 in 2012/13.