Fife’s health service is in a critical condition as it faces “devastating” cuts to its finances, it has been claimed.
Jobs and beds could be lost in the region’s hospitals as NHS Fife battles to find a whopping £30 million of savings in the current financial year.
Managers have warned of a major redesign and significant transformation of services in the coming months as they attempt to slash 5% from the overall £604m budget.
A final decision on possible cuts will be taken following communication with staff but it is clear that huge change is on the way.
Interim director of finance Carol Potter admitted the extent of the challenge faced was unprecedented, both locally and across the NHS in Scotland as a whole.
“I have not seen the scale of these financial challenges in the whole of my career,” she said.
Grave concerns have been expressed over NHS Fife’s ability to absorb the cuts due to the pressures it is already operating under, with Labour politician Alex Rowley stating: “This is really, really worrying for Fife.”
Among the more controversial proposals is a staff cut in the acute sector which would save £550,000, along with a reduction in beds to save £40,000.
NHS Fife has made it clear this would not happen until alternative services were provided in the community as they establish a joint working arrangement with Fife Council.
Other suggestions include a reorganisation of the minor injuries service in line with a national review of the out of hours service and reviews of the diabetes service and the clinical investigations unit.
Reviews of hospital security staff, catering, café facilities, linen and laundry arrangements are also on the cards.
So far, the potential for £19.2m of savings has been identified and the health board is planning urgent talks with the Scottish Government on how to achieve the remaining £11.4m.
Mr Rowley told The Courier: “This level of cuts will be devastating for an already under-pressure health service in Fife.
“Everybody you speak to will tell you the pressure nurses are under and when you start adding to that and cutting areas like laundry then it could lead to all sorts of problems.”
He added: “An NHS fit for Fife is not something we have at present but this has put it in a critical condition.”
Pledge to work with staff
NHS Fife chairman Allan Burns acknowledged it was crucial that staff were involved in any discussions and called for communication with workers as a matter of urgency.
“We need to tell staff about the way in which we intend to progress,” he said.
On top of local savings, the Scottish Government has identified a number of measures which could be introduced nationally.
These include cutting lengths of stay in hospital and preventable admissions, reducing agency and locum use and slashing the cost of prescribing.
A spokesman for NHS Fife said: “The scale of the financial challenge ahead of us is considerable and it is important that we work alongside our staff to reshape our services and maintain the standard of care we provide.
“It is our commitment that as we reshape our services and develop new ways of working, we will do so without compromising the standard of care we offer to our patients.”
