News story
21st December 2005
1 in 3 Beds To Go In Local Hospitals
Documents to be considered today by the board of South
Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust reveal that the North Bristol and
South Gloucestershire area is to lose nearly 1 in 3 of its acute
hospital beds under plans being drawn up by local trusts, according to
Northavon MP Steve Webb.
The document - known as an "outline business case" - shows that the
new "super-hospital" at Southmead will have just 802 acute beds. In
addition, there will be another 145 acute beds at Southmead (for
specialities such as obstetrics and gynaecology) which do not form part
of the new hospital development. The total of 947 acute beds will be
complemented by 84 "community hospital" beds at Frenchay and 32 at
Southmead, making a grand total of 1,063 beds.
But data obtained by Steve Webb from the Department of Health shows that
as recently as 2003-04, North Bristol Trust had 1,513 acute and general
medical beds. The proposal therefore represents a cut in bed numbers of
around 30%, despite projections of a rapid increase in the population of
the Bristol and South Gloucestershire areas over the coming decades.
Commenting on the figures, Steve Webb said:
"Whatever you think about the best site for the proposed super-hospital,
local people will all agree that slashing bed numbers by one third is
totally unacceptable. I already hear from people who work in local
hospitals that they often struggle to cope with existing bed numbers.
How Trust bosses expect to be able to serve a rapidly growing population
with one third fewer NHS beds defies belief. There is no way that these
facilities will be adequate for local people, and I urge local Trusts to
reject them".
Notes:
1. South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust Board meets on Wednesday
21st December at Emersons Green Village Hall. Agenda item 6.3 is
entitled: "North Bristol and South Gloucestershire Healthcare Services
Development Programme - Outline Business Case". This is being presented
to the board "..on behalf of North Bristol NHS Trust" for approval. None
of the figures cited above (either before or after the proposed changes)
include beds for people with mental illness.
2. The following table gives Department of Health figures for acute and
general medical beds at North Bristol NHS Trust for the last three
years:
Title: Average daily number of available and occupied beds by sector,
NHS organisations in England, 2004-05
| Year |
SHA |
OrgID |
Name |
Total |
General & Acute |
| 2004-05 |
Q20 |
RVJ |
North Bristol NHS Trust |
1,597 |
1,503 |
| 2003-04 |
Q20 |
RVJ |
North Bristol NHS Trust |
1,606 |
1,513 |
| 2002-03 |
Q20 |
RVJ |
North Bristol NHS Trust |
1,921 |
1,510 |
| 2001-02 |
KH03 |
RVJ |
North Bristol NHS Trust |
1,873 |
1,462 |
Source: Department of Health form KH03
Status: Published 30 September 2005
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