Some local residents may have been concerned after reading that the North West London Collaboration of CCGs – which includes Brent – have written a letter to the local GPs. The letter has asked them to ‘restrict’ specialist referrals in order to plug a gap in their finances.
Having studied the letter, I believe it appears to be an attempt by the CCGs to contain an unexpected overspending in their budgets this year. They are asking GPs to refer, where possible, to hospitals within NW London, so that the money stays within the local NHS and to prevent paying tariffs to providers outside our area. They are also asking GPs to make sure that all referrals are appropriate and within clinical guidance. Their view is that the approach they are taking is not, as claimed, a restriction or rationing of services, but is more about good housekeeping and reducing waste.
Alongside specialist referrals, the CCGs are reviewing a number of other areas, including patient transport and outpatient services. More detail is expected on these subjects shortly. While there is certainly a case for making sure that public money is spent wisely and not wasted – the CCGs say a number of patients end up attending routine outpatient appointments when they do not need to – I would need a clearer understanding of what changes they are proposing and why. Likewise, I would want to be assured that patients who need transport to hospital continue to have access to it.
The CCGs say their letter to GPs is the first step of their long term plan to get their finances in order. They have a financial deficit of £100m and the whole of the local NHS deficit (including provider trusts like local hospitals) is over £300m. They are required by NHS England to address the deficit and are developing a long term plan to balance the books by 2023, rather than attempting to do so within this financial year. They say they won’t be making any decisions to change patient services without involving local residents properly. In my roles on the local and regional scrutiny committees, I fully intend to make sure this happens and hold them to account.
With a general election now looking very likely, the NHS is going to be thrust into the spotlight once again locally and nationally. We have read much about additional investment in local services, but this might ring hollow if you live in NW London and are hearing about financial recovery plans. Certainly it is important to understand how this deficit has arisen, how the local NHS plans to tackle it and how this will impact the patients. I will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that residents are not adversely affected.
