HOSPITALS in Gloucestershire could close due to a lack of funding for the NHS, according to the county’s Liberal Democrats.

The issue will be raised by the party’s county council members at tomorrow’s full council meeting where they will ask for a letter to be sent to the Secretary of State for health Jeremy Hunt calling for the government to establish a cross-party care convention aimed at securing long-term investment in the NHS and care services.

Tomorrow’s debate will be led by the deputy group leader of the Liberal Democrats and chairman of the council’s Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny committee.

He said: “The impact of this serious financial crisis in the NHS can been seen locally affecting ambulance response times, A&E waiting times, the length of time it takes to get a GP appointment and changes to the minor injury and illness units across the county.  

“The hospitals trust which runs Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal will start the new financial year with over £40million in deficit.

“This will undoubtedly mean rationalising services currently offered in both Cheltenham and Gloucester hospitals.  

“Across our county, we have seen more overnight restrictions to minor illness and injury units in the last year and I would predict that the upcoming roll-out of the Government’s so-called Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) may well lead to the complete closure of at least one of the county’s local hospitals.”

Following a change to the opening hours of the minor injuries unit at Stroud General Hospital in November, the district was left without overnight medical care with patients now having to use A&E services in Gloucester or Cheltenham.

In a joint statement, officials at the county’s four main NHS organisations – Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and 2gether NHS Foundation Trust – said that the county’s health budget was rising but that there was an increasing pressure on resources.

“It is important to stress that the overall health budget for Gloucestershire is growing, but the increase in pressure means that we have to free up funding to meet new demands and treatments.

“Health and social care organisations are working positively together as ‘One Gloucestershire’ to look at how best to meet these demands in the future and deliver services and support.

“Our STP priorities include greater emphasis on prevention of illness and self-care with extra money to support it, spending more money on GP services and mental health, providing more joined up care and support in people’s homes and in the community, pursuing excellence in hospital services and developing a sustainable local workforce.  

“Specific proposals for services have not yet been developed, but will be informed by feedback received through the STP public engagement process.

“High quality care and safety will remain our priorities throughout.

“We are committed to working with partners to further improve A&E and ambulance performance for all patients.

“Health and social care teams have been doing a fabulous job despite the seasonal pressures and the majority of patients in Gloucestershire continue to be seen and treated within the national standards.”