Council Publishes Plan to Safeguard Bedford Hospital Services

In a major intervention in support of Bedford Hospital, Bedford Borough Council has published new proposals which show that the Hospital can be sustainable in the future while retaining key services such as A&E, maternity and children's care.

The report, published today, was commissioned by the Council in order to illustrate that vital services can be saved at Bedford Hospital for the future, in the face of proposals being considered by the Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Healthcare Review which would impose a major downgrade and loss of services.

The report, produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on behalf of the Council, reveals that linking Social Care and Health Care could not only provide a better more joined up approach for patients but could also provide clinical and financial benefits.

As Mayor Dave Hodgson told a press conference earlier today: "Removing major services like A&E, full maternity and paediatrics out while you've got a growing and ageing population and rising demand cannot be the right answer."

He added:"This report shows that a downgrade does not have to be the answer."

The Council commissioned PwC in May to carry out the specialist work to help secure a sustainable future for the hospital, retaining the key services on which so many Borough residents depend. The report recognises the significant pressures facing both Health and Social Care going forward but puts forward a sustainable solution that works alongside the existing reviews. It shows how important services including A&E, paediatrics and full maternity care can still be saved at Bedford Hospital.

The report has received support from all parties on the Council, who issued a joint statement in support of retaining local services. Mayor Dave and Group Leaders added today:

"We commissioned PwC to provide the knowledge and experience to help identify a sustainable future for Bedford Hospital that protects local services. The work carried out by PwC looked into existing reviews, the challenges facing both the Health and Social Care sectors as well as looking at similar work being carried out around the country. The resulting recommendations set out how by integrating health and social care we can introduce a solution that improves services for local residents, reduces costs and saves local services.'

"We will be presenting these findings to Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Bedford Hospital and look forward to them being incorporated in the existing reviews."

The findings of the report will now be passed to the Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Healthcare Review and shared with NHS England and NHS Improvement.

You can read the report in full at www.bedford.gov.uk/healthcarereport