Andrew Lansley to face a creative protest in York.

NHS cuts, NHS cuts, NHS cuts.

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat (Conservative) coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to face protest from York Stop The Cuts group (From York Press)

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to face protest from York Stop The Cuts group

HEALTH Secretary Andrew Lansley will visit York this weekend to speak at a Conservative Party fundraiser – but he is set to face strong protests over his proposed NHS reforms.

Mr Lansley is due to be the guest speaker at a black-tie dinner organised by the York Conservatives organisation at the Merchant Adventurer’s Hall on Saturday night.

But campaigners from the York Stop The Cuts group plan to don tuxedos, ballgowns and masks and cut up a giant papier-maché pie outside the venue to voice their anger at what they claim is a threat to “slice up the NHS”.
…

Sussex mental health services ‘at full stretch’ (From The Argus)

Sussex mental health services ‘at full stretch’

Mental health services say they are operating at “full stretch” to balance rising numbers of service users and substantial funding cuts.

Senior figures at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust say they are being “challenged like never before” with some services seeing a 44% increase in people needing help over the last three years.

The rising number of people turning to the trust, which now sees more than 100,000 people every year, has been blamed on the pressures of increasingly difficult economic times.

The increase comes as the trust has to make major financial savings of more than £14 million in the current financial year.
…

Safety fears over £78m NHS cuts (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

PATIENT safety fears have been raised over plans to shave £78million from the NHS in north Essex in three-and-a-half years.

Stephen Beresky, non-executive director for primary care trust NHS North East Essex, said he believed services were already “creaking” from the cost-saving measures.

At a board of directors meeting in Braintree recently, he questioned plans which will see £27.7million cut from the PCT’s budget and £51million from the amount it pays to providers such as the ambulance service, hospital and mental health care by 2015.

Mr Beresky, of Stanway, who runs a consultancy business, said: “The biggest cost in most organisations is staffing.

“The quickest way to have an impact on reducing budgets is staff.

“I want to make sure the the consequences of the decisions which are being taken are understood because, anecdotally, and a little less than anecdotally, they are creaking.”

The trust has not yet revealed how many jobs will be shed however it plans to slash staff pay by £4million between now and 2015.
…

Fears continue over A&E services at St Helier Hospital (From Your Local Guardian)

Fears continue over A&E services at St Helier Hospital

Fears continue about the future of A&E services in Sutton after NHS London bosses refused to give assurances over the future of St Helier hospital.

Following a presentation to councillors last week, Andrew Woodhead, head of mergers and acquisitions at NHS London, said the transition board was “working on an assumption that services would remain”, but would not guarantee that St Helier hospital could continue to provide A&E and maternity services in the future.

He said the proposed merger of St Helier and St George’s in Tooting was an organisational matter, which would allow the hospital to achieve Foundation Trust status.

But he said the future of services was being dealt with by a separate review of healthcare in south west London called Better Services Better Value.
…