Stroke review.   As I noted in an earlier blog a formal consultation is promised on proposed alteration to stroke services in Surrey as a result of a review by Clinical Commissioning Groups. Despite promises of consultation, plans are being put in place for implementation. So I do not expect any consultation will make a difference. In essence there will be just three Hyper Acute Stroke Units in Surrey and they will be in Frimley Park, St Peters and East Surrey hospitals. The Royal Surrey will lose its stoke unit and patients with a stroke in the Guildford area will go to St Peters in Chertsey. Those having a stoke to the South of Guildford in the area bounded by Cranleigh, Haslemere and Elstead will go to Frimley Park. Already staff in the Royal Surrey are being spoken to re their future and St Peters is looking to off load some of its patients to the Royal Surrey to create bed space for more stroke patients.

Turning the Royal Surrey around.  The Royal Surrey continues to strive extremely hard to turn itself around financially. Many savings are being made with most coming from a reduction in staff numbers and in expenditure on Agency, Bank and Locum staff. Nevertheless the deficit at the end of the financial year is unlikely to be substantially different from last year save for the expectation of a substantial financial injection subject to conditions laid down by NHS Improvement which continues closely to monitor the hospital’s progress. Times are really tough and that goes for all hospitals.

On the non-financial side NHS Improvement expects improved performance on A&E waits and cancer waits. My main concerns have focussed on cancer waits particularly the 62 day wait target from GP referral to treatment. The hospital performs very poorly in the area of urology a fact which I point out at every opportunity to push for more determination and detailed plans to sort matters out. I hope this is coming about. Some patients referred from other hospitals arrive at the Royal Surrey after much of the 62 day wait has been expended and sometimes after 62 days have already elapsed. This is a disgrace and requires strong representation to these offending hospitals at a CEO to CEO and Chairman to Chairman level which I will monitor to see that it happens. The relevant Commissioning Groups have a responsibility here also

The Sustainability and Transformation Plan for Surrey Heartlands. Very hectic activity is underway to review all the acute and community health services and social services in Surrey Heartlands (an area bounded roughly by Woking and Ashford to the North, Haslemere to the South. Guildford to the West and Epsom to the East). Very substantial changes to services and health institutions in this area can be expected. A public engagement plan is being put in place for later this year/beginning of next. I am one of the governors on the ‘Stakeholder Engagement Group’ and will report from time to time. I am watching A&E services, maternity services and cancer services in particular to see how they might impact on the Royal Surrey. An earlier blog reports that the Royal Surrey is to lose its stroke services and I fear lest it also loses its A&E and Maternity services to become not a General Hospital as now but just a Cancer Centre. That is not a current proposal but I fear the direction of travel. More to come in due course.