Future of Bedford Hospital hangs on review

In a meeting to decide a review to improve services, Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (BCCG) said it is committed to bringing better health care to patients.

GP and BCCG Accountable Officer Dr Paul Hassan: “Anyone who says we are looking to close Bedford Hospital is talking out of the top of their hat.

“In a town the size of Bedford we will need services to take place in that site.”

However, what form those services will take will be decided next year after a consultation.

At the meeting yestersday (Wednesday), the BCCG voted in principle to carry out a wide-scale review of health care across its region in partnership with national agencies the NHS Trust Development Authority, Monitor, and NHS England.

This is set to begin in December with an initial review which will allow all members of the public to get involved and put forward their health care needs, as well as working with clinicians and health workers.

From this study, and with expert help from the national agencies, the BCCG will be able to draw up a list of options for local health care on which to hold a full consultation in summer of next year. The results of this should be decided by autumn when improvements and changes should be implemented.

Bedford GP and BCCG member Dr Peter Parry-Okeden said: “The system has basically been unchanged for about 40 to 50 years.

“Currently people get good care in certain areas but this crisis at the hospital has sparked an opportunity to make improvements to the whole service.

“Historically, the work of GPs and hospitals were carried out separately. This is a real chance to radically change how we deliver health care which will make sense to the public. We should be excited by this.”

Dr Parry-Okeden added “this is a huge piece of work to look at models of health care for the whole area” and said it will be financed by mangement funds held by the BCCG and by contributions from the national agencies.

The review panel will also work closely with Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group, which is carrying out a health care consultation of its own, as BCCG currently spends about £10million a year on services provided by Milton Keynes Hospital

In the meantime, a consultation on paediatric services at the hospital has been delayed until the wider consultation is completed and problems at the hospital and interrelated services have been addressed.

BCCG paediatrics member Dr Diane Gray told the meeting that while this consultation is suspended work to improve the paedriatric unit in Bedford Hospital continues on a daily basis and hopes more services, including trainee doctors, will be reinstated in the near future.