NHS accused of hiding its plans to cut services

The NHS has been accused of keeping secret its plans to plug a £250 million funding gap by rationing services.

38 Degrees, a crowdfunded campaign group, submitted freedom of information requests to the government, NHS leaders, trusts and clinical commissioning groups in the 13 areas affected but all except two refused to reveal details of planned changes.

Leaked proposals from three areas have already released plans involving downgrading or closing A&E departments and extending waiting times for operations, and 38 Degrees says the public is entitled to know what else is planned. But it received a number of responses saying it was not in the public interest to publish them, prompting them to accuse the government and NHS possess of planning major changes without consulting local people.

The areas were originally told to make an extra £500 million of savings by the end of March 2018 to balance its books in the current financial year, but last month NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens told the group that £250 million of cuts had been identified, indicating that the capital expenditure process (CEP) may settle for a reduced amount.

The prospect of large cuts in the CEP has caused outrage, which NHS Providers saying that restricting care and closing hospital units was ‘neither realistic nor reasonable’.

An NHS England spokesman said: “The NHS has always had to live within the budget that parliament allocates, and the usual requirements for public consultation on any suggested major service reconfigurations of course continue to apply. However, it’s grossly unfair if a small number of areas in effect take more than their fair share at the expense of other people’s hospital services, GP care and mental health clinics elsewhere in the country.”