14.10.13
Investing in London hospitals ‘not the answer’
NHS England has reiterated calls for greater investment in primary and community care rather than urgent services, warning that London hospitals are facing a £4bn shortfall by 2020.
Demand will soon outstrip supply, and increasing costs will make the service unsustainable, the organisation has stated. London faces particular pressures around higher life expectancy, with the number of over-65s set to increase by 19% by 2020 and an increasing birth rate.
There is also a higher rate of acute sexually transmitted disease than in any other region, and premature deaths are largely due to lifestyle factors. One in five children are at risk of obesity, figures suggest.
Dr Anne Rainsberry, regional director for NHS England, said: “Based on our expectations of patient demands and that we expect a period of flat financial growth, we are likely to have an affordability gap of £4bn in London by 2020.
“Investing more in hospitals is not the answer. We need to focus more on prevention and improve our primary and community care services to co-ordinate services closer to where patients live.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “The NHS is already on track to make £20bn of efficiency savings by 2015 by making changes to the way it works — changes that will continue to deliver savings beyond 2015.”
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