More local decisions to be made on hospital - Local

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More local decisions to be made on hospital

Published on 13/02/2013 16:15

Health bosses have localised a consultation on changes to health services which could affect Bedford Hospital.

In a letter to hospital staff Dr Paul Hassan, who has spearheaded the Healthier Together initiative for the past 18 months, announced that instead of it continuing, five new local clinical commissioning groups will now take responsibility for planning new health services.

Concerns were expressed last year over the Healthier Together consultation, with some claiming that its reach was too wide and that services could suffer as a result.

The letter also claimed that Bedford Hospital has ‘signalled an intention’ to work towards a possible merger which could includes Milton Keynes Hospital

John Rooke, chief operating officer of Bedfordshire’s clinical commissioning group, said: “I think what’s absolutely crucial is that we have to do better than Healthier Together has done in engaging local people so they understand why local services have to change to provide better services for the future.”

And Councillor Louise King, who expressed concerns over Healthier Together, said: “It’s too early to say what this latest development will mean for Bedford Hospital, but it does confirm my initial fears that Healthier Together were looking to deliver services over too wide an area. While we all know the NHS has to make difficult choices in the face of coalition imposed cuts, changes must still be based on clinical evidence that improve the quality and safety of patient care.”

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