Hospital could axe key services

May 5 2006 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

DEBT-RIDDEN Good Hope Hospital's casualty, maternity and heart wards are all under threat in a top-level review to save cash.

Gynaecology, paediatric services, orthodontics and intensive care were also flagged up in a new report as the biggest loss makers that need to be targeted.

Good Hope's Trust Board has been advised to review all these departments and either "make them financially sustainable or stop providing them".

Hospital chiefs were also told they could remove at least 100 beds if they brought down the number of days each patient was staying in the hospital.

Services strategy managers said they recognised board members, local MPs and patients forums wanted to keep an Accident and Emergency at the Sutton Cold-field hospital, but warned there was a need to resolve money-burning services.

Health watchdog, Councillor Deirdre Alden, said: "This will only mean that patient care suffers.

"Some services are needed even though they are expensive and are likely to make a loss. To stop providing them is outrageous and trying to make them financially sustainable only means making cutbacks.

"These are services people need on their doorstep all the time."

The recommendations were part of a major assessment on strengths and weaknesses of the hospital, which treats patients across most of north Birmingham and pockets of south Staffordshire.

Mark Goldman, Good Hope's chief executive, said: "The work undertaken at Good Hope Hospital has revealed a small number of services which appear costly by comparison to the rest of the NHS.

"We are looking into each of these areas to review how we can provide value for money and maximise the use of public funds.

"This is not about reducing services but about looking at how we can continue to provide these services more efficiently.

"We are committed to continuing to provide a wide range of excellent services locally for our patients."

Good Hope is battling to claw back a £7.1 million debt from last year, plus previous deficits.

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