The three
Clinical Commissioning Groups covering East Sussex are currently consulting on
the provision of NHS beds provided by Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust for
the admission and assessment of people with dementia. Three out of their four
proposals include either a bed reduction or a closure of at least one of the
wards, causing grave concern to people using and providing the current service.
UNISON Sussex
Partnership Branch Communications Officer Nick McMaster said :
“Closure of either Beechwood Ward in Uckfield or St Gabriels Ward in St Leonards-on-Sea is likely to mean frail patients and relatives having to travel significantly further to receive specialist inpatient care. Community dementia services are already heavily over-stretched and are unlikely to be able to provide the same level of support to patients with high care needs. Given the projected increase in dementia due to an increasingly ageing population, we are concerned that a vital public service is going to be dismantled in the chase for financial savings disguised as new models of care”
In an ideal world we would all like our loved ones to be treated at home, but what happens when people are just too poorly? With bed occupancy rates sometimes over 100% and nearly all of them being filled by East Sussex residents, proposals to close units are deeply worrying.”
UNISON
members who work in the two units are planning to take their concerns to the
streets in order to speak directly to the public. Nick says “The CCGs have
supposedly been in ‘public consultation’ about this since August, although they
are only allowing comments online or in writing. We are not afraid to go to the
public and intend to engage them in real conversation”.
The "consultation" closed on 25th October, but you can still sign the petition on 38 Degrees website by clicking here- we know how important it is to keep the pressure up on NHS managers !
No comments:
Post a Comment