Cuts a 'danger to patients' (From Hillingdon Times)

Cuts a 'danger to patients'

9:25am Saturday 24th February 2007 in News By David Doyle

DOCTORS have said there is a "significant danger to patients" from Hillingdon Primary Care Trust's cost-saving cut-backs.

Dr Mitch Garsin, chair of Hillingdon's local medical committee, has said doctors are already feeling the effects of the health service tightening its purse strings.

The government has drafted in an army of accountants to help manage the PCT's spiralling debt crisis, which is set to stand at £54million by the end of this financial year.

He says the "junior accountants" know nothing about the NHS and have put a freeze on filling district-nurse vacancies - which is putting patients at risk.

"Vacancies are so high," he said. "There is significant danger to patients.

"Hillingdon now gets a team that knows nothing about the problem. We get junior accountants who know nothing about the NHS and the blame will probably filter down to the GPs."

At the start of last year Patricia Hewitt, secretary of state for health, announced the external turn-around' teams would be dispatched to 18 health trusts across the country.

At the time the MP for Leicester West said: "The organisations that will receive intensive turnaround support account for just three per cent of all NHS organisations but 26 per cent of the total gross projected overspend.

"Improving financial management does not mean compromising services for patients. Any action that the NHS takes to reduce deficits should not lower the quality of care provided to patients."

But Dr Garsin believes the damage to services is a result of these "givernment-imposed targets."

Chief executive of Hillingdon PCT Antony Sumara recently told how the debt-crisis was being managed with the debt for this financial year being limited to £11million - 11.5million less than was predicted in September.

Added to the non-recurring debt of £43million it means the PCT will be £54million in the red at the end of the financial year.