Health bosses prepare for winter pressures

Health organisations are gearing up in preparation for increased demand on services over the winter.

Measures to tackle leaps in demand include a relaunch of the 111 service to increase the number of health professional patients can speak to.

Another key aim is increasing the number of beds available, with more in particular at West Suffolk Hospital.

Last winter, the hospital experienced a 10 per cent attendance increase at its accident and emergency department. This year, it hopes to not exceed 92 per cent bed occupancy and is planning to assess the possibility of delivering its elective programme over an 11-month period to free up capacity for emergency activity in January.

Priorities are also being outlined for times of pressure on the emergency department and more staff in peak periods.

Richard Watson, deputy chief officer West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (WSCCG), said: “We are confident we have planned as much as we can for the extra pressure and demand in the winter period.”

The new 111 will launch on November 1 and see more callers put through to trained clinicians rather than speaking to a call advisor.

The winter plan published ahead of Wednesday’s WSCCG governing body meeting said: “The winter period of 2017/18 was a challenge nationally for all health and social care providers, and while Suffolk had good plans in place we were not exempt from these.”

A meeting of West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust’s board today will discuss pressures facing the hospital, including its deficit and recruitment.

There are ‘significant’ nursing vacancies, with 104 registered and 29 unregistered roles unfilled.

An overseas recruitment campaign has seen 170 conditional offers made, with 12 nurses already starting work and another three to start next month, along with a possible further three.

The trust is planning a net deficit of £10.1 million for 2087/18, dependent on A&E and financial targets being met. In July, it reported a monthly deficit of £1.261 million against a planned deficit of £1.073 million, an overspend it said was related to underperformance of A&E resulting in income being £236,000 below planned.