A HEALTH watchdog has warned financial rules that could be about to bite in York will threaten waiting lists and could bring the closure of minor injury units like that in Selby.

Healthwatch York and its North Yorkshire equivalent are warning the “capped expenditure programme” could spell the closure of wards and minor injury units, longer waiting lists, recruitment problems, restricted patient choices, and postponing targets on things like four hour waits in A & E.

York Press:

The area is one of 14 in the capped expenditure programme - a restrictive financial programme that forces three local NHS bodies to work on significant cost reductions within the next nine months.

Healthwatch has hit out at the plans. They say national NHS claims the areas have not been living within their means are wrong, and ignore “serious historic under-funding” for York and North Yorkshire.

In a joint statement, the Healthwatch activists said: “As local Healthwatch we do not accept the argument that this area is spending the resources of other areas through its failure to stay within allocated funding.”

The funding ignores how rural some areas are, and sees York given less cash per head than many other areas - a concern that is shared by Dr David Fair, a York GP with 25 years of experience. Dr Fair said: “There is an ongoing feeling among GPs that this area is particularly under funded per head of population, due to a funding formula that has been in use by the government for several years, which we feel is unfair.

“Because of that, it’s inevitable York CCG is not going to have enough money.”

Healthwatch’s statement says although they recognise the financial challenges facing the NHS, it is their duty to help the health bodies make sure their plans to deal with the challenges “have what matters to people right at their hearts.”

It is also their role to make sure communities understands what plans may mean - and current proposals could see things like a 30 per cent reduction in planned care like knee and hip operations - leading to longer waiting lists.

They added: “It is already challenging to recruit enough staff to meet local health and care needs. These proposals would make it increasingly difficult to recruit new graduates to join an area where treatment options are cut to the bone.

“Unchecked, North Yorkshire and York could become a demonstration of what a postcode lottery in health looks like.”

Although the plans have not yet been put into place, the Healthwatch bodies are urging NHS England and NHS Improvement to “draw back from putting money above the safety of local residents.”

“We ask that they put the health needs of our local community over balancing finances. We call for our area to receive its fair share of NHS funding.”

In a joint statement, the Vale of York CCG, Scarborough and Ryedale CCG, and York Hospital Trust, said they were working on both long and short term plans.

“We are working together, with NHS England and NHS Improvement, to draw up short-term financial recovery plans to improve the local financial position.

“At the same time, we are continuing to plan for the medium and longer term, focusing on designing better, more joined up services that will help people to stay well and reduce reliance on hospital-based care.”

They also pointed to public meetings being held to give people chance to find out about and comment on the plans.

They are:

- Thursday, June 22 12pm-2.30pm at Ayton Village Hall, East Ayton.

- Wednesday, June 28 6-8pm at Scarborough CCG AGM public event, Scarborough Library.

- Tuesday, July 11 5.30-7.30pm at Community House, Portholme Street, Selby.

- Monday, July 24 6.30-8.30pm in the George Hudson Room, West Offices, York.

- Wednesday, July 26 1.30-3.30pm at the Folk Hall, New Earswick, York.

- Thursday, August 3 2-4pm in the Main Hall, Priory Street Centre, York (a Healthwatch York special assembly with Vale of York CCG)

- Monday, August 7 10am-2pm at Selby Market, Selby.

- Tuesday, August 22 10am-2pm at Pocklington Market, Pocklington.