Cash-strapped NHS faces 'worst January EVER because of bill from hell'
GETTY Hammond is facing calls to supply the NHS with more funds to combat bed-blocking
Currently, the NHS is forced to fork out a whopping £800m-a-year to fund its chronic bed-blocking crisis, NHS official figures revealed – but that cost could rise even further. In 2016, hospitals in England ran-up a record deficit of £2.45billion – the biggest overspend in its history – and is more than 20 times the size of the £115million deficit in 2013-14.
This January is like we’ve not paid last month’s or November's credit card bill Dr Mark Holland, President of the Society for Acute Medicine
But with a “record number” of elderly patients occupying beds as they wait for social care transfers, and others still occupying beds because of postponed Christmas procedures, more of the British taxpayers money could be used plug the ever-increasing costs. Dr Mark Holland, President of the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) said he is not sure if the NHS will be able to “get through January and avert a major crisis” because there are “too many unknowns”.
GETTY An elderly patient walks into an NHS trust that is most likely suffering from bed shortages
The 52-year-old doctor said: “There’s this problem over Christmas and New Year where actually, because you get this glut of beds that become available, you’re just building trouble up for ourselves in January. “And then - when the flu kicks in, if the winter vomiting virus kicks in, which would potentially close a war, or if there’s just a cold snap - when any of these things occur, we will be under more pressure. But actually, we’ll still be spending most of January.”
Last month, the health service released figures which revealed NHS trusts across the country had breached their target of overnight stays by 89 per cent for a fourth successive quarter. The maximum occupancy rate for ensuring patients are well looked after and not exposed to heath risks is considered to be 85 per cent, a figure that has not been met since 2010.
Former health minister Norman Lamb said the chronic bed shortages are a symptom of a cash-strapped NHS "struggling to cope with rising demand”. Mr Lamb said: “Chronic bed shortages have a serious impact on care, with patients facing longer waits, cancelled operations and a higher risk of infection. The Government must stop turning a blind eye to the funding crisis facing the NHS."
GETTY Fomer Health minister, Norman Lamb urged May's governemnt to reconsider NHS budgets
Keen to stress the urgency of the situation, Dr Holland explained the crisis, using an analogy of Christmas spending. He said: “This January is like we’ve not paid last month’s credit card bill, we’ve not paid November’s credit card bill and over Christmas we’ve gone out and had a really good spend.
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