NHS in Worcestershire facing winter pressures, says committee chair

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 06:04 · Archive

The chair of Worcestershire County Council's health committee has told NHS bosses the service is 'failing' and will struggle through winter.

The chair of Worcestershire County Council's health overview and scrutiny committee told NHS bosses on 12 October that health services in Worcestershire are 'failing' and will struggle to cope throughout the winter.

NHS trusts serving the county have outlined plans to tackle winter pressures. These include increasing virtual ward beds—where patients are cared for at home through home visits and video technology—from 20 to 45. More than 80,000 additional primary care appointments are also planned to take place between now and March 2027, including outside usual GP surgery hours.

Committee chair Karen May said the plans were 'great' but questioned whether they could be enacted. She called for systemic changes, including enabling paramedics to do more treatments on the spot to prevent people with dementia being taken into ambulances, and improving medication provision in care homes. May said: 'You won't fix this system until you fix further up the line and at the moment, it's not happening.' She added that carers were 'left under severe stress and duress as a consequence of people not coming in at the correct point of action'.

NHS in Worcestershire facing winter pressures, says committee chair — Image: Malvern Gazette

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How it is being reported

NHS in Worcestershire 'failing' says chair of health committeeTHE NHS in Worcestershire is “failing” and will struggle to cope throughout the winter, health bosses have been told.Malvern Gazette · 13 Oct, 17:42
NHS in Worcestershire 'failing' says chair of health committeeTHE NHS in Worcestershire is “failing” and will struggle to cope throughout the winter, health bosses have been told.Worcester News · 13 Oct, 17:42

In this story: Worcestershire County Council · Karen May · Worcestershire · Worcestershire Royal Hospital

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