Almost 300 primary school sites have been sold off in the past decade as local councils seek to raise funds, according to a More4 News/Channel 4 News online survey.
The sales have generated £230m for authorities, as councils struggle to meet government funding demands and combat falling school rolls.
The research shows a further 188 primary schools sites are earmarked for future sale.
Critics say the sell-offs are a 'missed opportunity' to improve educational standards, and could leave authorities short of classrooms in the future.
Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the NUT, said: "The findings both surprise and depress me. At the moment we still have extremely large class sizes all over England and Wales, and because of these sell-offs we will find ourselves with insufficient classroom capacity further down the road.
"Whilst the pupil population might be decreasing at the moment this was the ideal opportunity to reduce class sizes and keep spending on education at the same level so that we can begin to fulfil Gordon Brown's promise that state school children will be funded to the same level as those in the independent sector."
Government funds schools according to how many places they have, rather than the actual number of pupils. It urges authorities to close schools with too few children, as they are seen as an ineffective use of resources.
The survey found that the council which received the most for primary school sales in the past decade was Oxfordshire, whose sell-off programme led to £39.8m being brought in from sales.
Others in the top 10 included: Hertfordshire at £25.6m, Cambridgeshire at £19.7, West Sussex at £15.8m, Havering at £15.4m and Leeds at £13.7m.
Over Easter, Cumbria County Council became the latest authority to indicate it was going to close primary schools under a reorganisation programme.
Councils pledge to put the money raised from primary school sales back into education funding, and many new schools and facilities have been built using the revenue.
However, professor Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics, warned that pledges on education spending have to be taken with a pinch of salt.
He said: "You have to take councils at face value when they say they will be ring-fencing funds. But ring-fencing doesn't necessarily mean extra spending on education."
Overall, 113 councils responded to questions filed by Channel 4 news online under Freedom of Information rules, to show that 298 primary school sites had been sold off in the past decade for a total of £236,337,577.
Showing posts with label oxfordshire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oxfordshire. Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Sunday, 20 May 2007
Oxfordshire: Urban post offices 'also under threat'
Urban post offices are under threat as well as their rural counterparts, an Oxford sub-postmaster has warned - reports the Oxford Times.
Dozens of sub-postmasters across the county were left wondering if their businesses had a future after the Government said 2,500 of the country's 14,000 post offices would have to close.
The Government confirmed proposals announced last December for 2,500 branches - 18% of the total - to shut.
In Oxfordshire, that could mean about 30 of the 180 post offices in the county shutting. A list of which will have to close has not been issued.
Christine Donnelly, the secretary of the Oxford and District branch of the National Federation of Sub Postmasters, who runs Great Milton Post Office, said more rural post offices were likely to close than urban ones, but there could be closures in urban areas as well.
But Jan Sanderson, who runs the Elms Parade post office in Botley, said: "Urban post offices are suffering just as much because the Government has repeatedly diverted business elsewhere.
Her husband John, 60, added: "We do not get any rural subsidy like the branches out in the country but we still have to find rent and rates. It's getting harder all the time."
Pakeera Rathan, 32, who runs the post office and Costcutter shop in Old Marston Road, is another sub-postmaster who fears for the future of his branch.
He said earlier that the branch was a lifeline customers in the area because neighbouring branches had closed.
In the past six years, 21 post offices in Oxfordshire have closed. The most recent casualty was in Courtland Road, Rose Hill, Oxford, in March.
The changes will come into effect over an 18-month period from this summer.
Before MPs vote an extra £2.5 billion every year away to the EU - which still cannot pass its annual financial audit - they should surely explain to local voters why there isn't more government subsidy available to "lifeline" post offices in order to prevent 2,500 facing closure.
If the answer is insufficient government funds, then MPs can scarcely afford to approve sending billions extra to the EU. Or those local voters without a post office as a result will likely want answers for such a clearly irresponsible approach to public spending, come the next election.
Dozens of sub-postmasters across the county were left wondering if their businesses had a future after the Government said 2,500 of the country's 14,000 post offices would have to close.
The Government confirmed proposals announced last December for 2,500 branches - 18% of the total - to shut.
In Oxfordshire, that could mean about 30 of the 180 post offices in the county shutting. A list of which will have to close has not been issued.
Christine Donnelly, the secretary of the Oxford and District branch of the National Federation of Sub Postmasters, who runs Great Milton Post Office, said more rural post offices were likely to close than urban ones, but there could be closures in urban areas as well.
But Jan Sanderson, who runs the Elms Parade post office in Botley, said: "Urban post offices are suffering just as much because the Government has repeatedly diverted business elsewhere.
Her husband John, 60, added: "We do not get any rural subsidy like the branches out in the country but we still have to find rent and rates. It's getting harder all the time."
Pakeera Rathan, 32, who runs the post office and Costcutter shop in Old Marston Road, is another sub-postmaster who fears for the future of his branch.
He said earlier that the branch was a lifeline customers in the area because neighbouring branches had closed.
In the past six years, 21 post offices in Oxfordshire have closed. The most recent casualty was in Courtland Road, Rose Hill, Oxford, in March.
The changes will come into effect over an 18-month period from this summer.
Before MPs vote an extra £2.5 billion every year away to the EU - which still cannot pass its annual financial audit - they should surely explain to local voters why there isn't more government subsidy available to "lifeline" post offices in order to prevent 2,500 facing closure.
If the answer is insufficient government funds, then MPs can scarcely afford to approve sending billions extra to the EU. Or those local voters without a post office as a result will likely want answers for such a clearly irresponsible approach to public spending, come the next election.
Monday, 14 May 2007
Oxfordshire: Post office protesters visit Brown
Campaigners fighting to prevent the closure of Oxfordshire post offices will deliver a petition to No 11 Downing Street today - reports the Oxford Times.
Residents, councillors, a village postmaster and Banbury MP Tony Baldry will call on Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown to ensure post offices are given the financial support they need to stay economically viable.
The petition, which will also be presented to Parliament on Wednesday, has been signed by more than 1,000 residents from about 20 towns and villages in Oxfordshire.
It urges the Government to "stop action which will lead to the immediate closure of post offices" and urgently review funding and the services offered by branches to enable them to continue to be "a cornerstone of the community for individuals, business and the most vulnerable in society".
Earlier this month, Trade and Industry Secretary Alastair Darling said he intended to make a statement "fairly shortly" about the issue.
Residents, councillors, a village postmaster and Banbury MP Tony Baldry will call on Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown to ensure post offices are given the financial support they need to stay economically viable.
The petition, which will also be presented to Parliament on Wednesday, has been signed by more than 1,000 residents from about 20 towns and villages in Oxfordshire.
It urges the Government to "stop action which will lead to the immediate closure of post offices" and urgently review funding and the services offered by branches to enable them to continue to be "a cornerstone of the community for individuals, business and the most vulnerable in society".
Earlier this month, Trade and Industry Secretary Alastair Darling said he intended to make a statement "fairly shortly" about the issue.
Friday, 11 May 2007
Cowley: PO closure causes queues
The Oxford Times reports today that pensioners are being forced to queue for up to an hour to use a post office in Cowley following the closure of a nearby branch in Rose Hill.
More than 30 people were waiting for Post Office services following the Bank Holiday weekend before the counter, at the Co-op store in Templars Square, even opened, with the queue continuing to grow throughout the morning.
Peter Stovold, of Hollow Way, started queuing 45 minutes before the post office opened. He said: "Every day it's really backed up and it's usually worse than this.
"I got here at 8.45am and I've been queuing for 45 minutes because otherwise you have to wait 40 minutes in the queue. It's just easier to get here earlier."
Jane Lambert, from Iffley, left the post office without being served because she did not have enough time to wait.
She said: "It's completely ridiculous. I live near Rose Hill and since they closed the one there, which is absolutely crazy, everyone has to come here so it's really busy.
"I came to pay my council tax but the queues are just too long. I can't spend hours queuing.
"You can't do it anywhere else because they have closed the council tax office in town as well."
Tina Lambrick, of Derwent Avenue, also left without being served, having come to pick up child benefit for her two children.
She said: "There's no way I'm getting in that queue, that's an hour's wait at least.
"I feel sorry for the old people who have to stand waiting for so long. Something needs to be done."
More than 30 people were waiting for Post Office services following the Bank Holiday weekend before the counter, at the Co-op store in Templars Square, even opened, with the queue continuing to grow throughout the morning.
Peter Stovold, of Hollow Way, started queuing 45 minutes before the post office opened. He said: "Every day it's really backed up and it's usually worse than this.
"I got here at 8.45am and I've been queuing for 45 minutes because otherwise you have to wait 40 minutes in the queue. It's just easier to get here earlier."
Jane Lambert, from Iffley, left the post office without being served because she did not have enough time to wait.
She said: "It's completely ridiculous. I live near Rose Hill and since they closed the one there, which is absolutely crazy, everyone has to come here so it's really busy.
"I came to pay my council tax but the queues are just too long. I can't spend hours queuing.
"You can't do it anywhere else because they have closed the council tax office in town as well."
Tina Lambrick, of Derwent Avenue, also left without being served, having come to pick up child benefit for her two children.
She said: "There's no way I'm getting in that queue, that's an hour's wait at least.
"I feel sorry for the old people who have to stand waiting for so long. Something needs to be done."
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Oxfordshire: Trip to France 'spared me NHS wait'
A man crippled with arthritic pain went to France for a hip replacement after being told he would have to wait six months on the NHS - reports the Oxford Times.
Tony Singleton, 47, of Bagley Close in Kennington, decided to pay £6,800 to be treated at a private clinic in Abbeville, northern France, after learning he could have the operation there within a fortnight.
Mr Singleton, who had already been on the waiting list at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre for five months, was told at the beginning of March he would have to wait even longer.
He said: "I feel the NHS has failed me. I've worked since I was 15 years old and paid all my National Insurance contributions and when I need something, they let me down.
"There was no way I could wait. I had got to the point where I was so crippled by pain that my quality of life was nothing.
The clinic in France Mr Singleton attended is run by English firm People Logistics, who provided door-to-door collection as part of their service.
Managing director Keith Smith said: "Unfortunately there are more and more people who need joint replacement surgery.
"The NHS is failing people and we're disappointed for those that have to use our service."
The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre has said that the current national waiting time for an orthopaedic inpatient appointment requires patients be seen within 26 weeks, or six months.
A spokesman for the trust said: "In 2005-6, no patients exceeded this target, with the exception of a handful of planned occasions."
However, as Mr Singleton was added to the waiting list in November last year, he would not have been included in these figures.
How can MPs consider rewarding the audit-failing EU with a 60% increase in payments, while people like Mr Singleton aren't getting the vital services they need and have paid for - instead having to raid their savings and pay over again.
Those MPs planning such an unjustified waste of billions of pounds of public money every year instead of investing it in the NHS - or many other useful public purposes - should think again. Or will surely face angry local voters at the next election.
Tony Singleton, 47, of Bagley Close in Kennington, decided to pay £6,800 to be treated at a private clinic in Abbeville, northern France, after learning he could have the operation there within a fortnight.
Mr Singleton, who had already been on the waiting list at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre for five months, was told at the beginning of March he would have to wait even longer.
He said: "I feel the NHS has failed me. I've worked since I was 15 years old and paid all my National Insurance contributions and when I need something, they let me down.
"There was no way I could wait. I had got to the point where I was so crippled by pain that my quality of life was nothing.
The clinic in France Mr Singleton attended is run by English firm People Logistics, who provided door-to-door collection as part of their service.
Managing director Keith Smith said: "Unfortunately there are more and more people who need joint replacement surgery.
"The NHS is failing people and we're disappointed for those that have to use our service."
The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre has said that the current national waiting time for an orthopaedic inpatient appointment requires patients be seen within 26 weeks, or six months.
A spokesman for the trust said: "In 2005-6, no patients exceeded this target, with the exception of a handful of planned occasions."
However, as Mr Singleton was added to the waiting list in November last year, he would not have been included in these figures.
How can MPs consider rewarding the audit-failing EU with a 60% increase in payments, while people like Mr Singleton aren't getting the vital services they need and have paid for - instead having to raid their savings and pay over again.
Those MPs planning such an unjustified waste of billions of pounds of public money every year instead of investing it in the NHS - or many other useful public purposes - should think again. Or will surely face angry local voters at the next election.
Monday, 5 March 2007
Funding cuts march draws crowd
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Oxford to protest against NHS cuts and its funding crisis - reports the Oxford Times.
About 400 health workers, union members, pensioners and members of the public joined forces on Saturday in a bid to send a clear message to the Government.
Demonstrators, many of whom had not been on a protest march before, had been angered by the growing number of NHS redundancies across the county's hospitals.
Oxfordshire's Primary Care Trust and hospital trusts still face multi-million pound debts and a report last week revealed that up to 64% of community hospital beds could be under threat.
About 400 health workers, union members, pensioners and members of the public joined forces on Saturday in a bid to send a clear message to the Government.
Demonstrators, many of whom had not been on a protest march before, had been angered by the growing number of NHS redundancies across the county's hospitals.
Oxfordshire's Primary Care Trust and hospital trusts still face multi-million pound debts and a report last week revealed that up to 64% of community hospital beds could be under threat.
Wednesday, 1 November 2006
Thousands protest at NHS cuts
Oxfordshire health union representatives joined thousands of campaigners marching in London today to express their concern over NHS cuts and privatisation - reports the Oxford Times.
People from across the country were meeting in Westminster to lobby MPs over health trust deficits and hospital department closures.
The rally has been organised by NHS Together, an alliance of unions and organisations representing NHS staff.
Patricia Marquis, the Royal College of Nursing's area manager for Thames Valley, said 20 union leaders from Oxfordshire were attending.
She said: "The issues have not changed - we are talking about funding issues affecting the NHS in Oxfordshire and cuts to NHS services, including plans to downgrade the Horton Hospital.
People from across the country were meeting in Westminster to lobby MPs over health trust deficits and hospital department closures.
The rally has been organised by NHS Together, an alliance of unions and organisations representing NHS staff.
Patricia Marquis, the Royal College of Nursing's area manager for Thames Valley, said 20 union leaders from Oxfordshire were attending.
She said: "The issues have not changed - we are talking about funding issues affecting the NHS in Oxfordshire and cuts to NHS services, including plans to downgrade the Horton Hospital.
Monday, 16 October 2006
Oxfordshire: Protesters march in support of NHS
Four hundred people gathered in Oxford's Hinksey Park to protest against cuts and privatisation in the NHS - reports the Oxford Times.
They marched on Saturday from the park in Abingdon Road, up St Aldates and finished in Broad Street where Jim Campbell, the Mayor of Oxford, was one of the speakers.
Earlier this year, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust announced plans to cut 600 jobs and downgrade the Horton Hospital in Banbury as part of a £33m savings plan.
Joseph Richards, 75, from Blackbird Leys, has had to use the NHS regularly over recent years due to heart problems.
He said: "I am here because I am an old-age pensioner and we use the hospitals more than anyone else."
There are also concerns about some sectors of the NHS being neglected.
Dr Beth Rimmer, a GP in East Oxford, was on the march as a mother as well as a front-line worker.
She said: "I am here to raise public awareness about the frightening changes that are happening in the NHS. There are already things that are hard to get in Oxford like dietary and dentistry help.
"I am also worried about vulnerable people - those less able to put their point across and those who most lose out over privatisation. The choices will be made for us."
They marched on Saturday from the park in Abingdon Road, up St Aldates and finished in Broad Street where Jim Campbell, the Mayor of Oxford, was one of the speakers.
Earlier this year, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust announced plans to cut 600 jobs and downgrade the Horton Hospital in Banbury as part of a £33m savings plan.
Joseph Richards, 75, from Blackbird Leys, has had to use the NHS regularly over recent years due to heart problems.
He said: "I am here because I am an old-age pensioner and we use the hospitals more than anyone else."
There are also concerns about some sectors of the NHS being neglected.
Dr Beth Rimmer, a GP in East Oxford, was on the march as a mother as well as a front-line worker.
She said: "I am here to raise public awareness about the frightening changes that are happening in the NHS. There are already things that are hard to get in Oxford like dietary and dentistry help.
"I am also worried about vulnerable people - those less able to put their point across and those who most lose out over privatisation. The choices will be made for us."
Thursday, 7 September 2006
Banbury: Plea for anti-flood cash fails
A flood-prevention scheme for Banbury has failed to secure vital Government funding, preventing the project from going ahead - reports the Banbury Cake.
Since 1998, when the town last flooded, the Environment Agency has been working on a scheme to protect against a repeat occurance.
But the main part of the scheme, set to cost £12m, depended on support from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to go ahead.
Facing competition from flood-prevention schemes around the country, Banbury's bid for funding has not been successful.
Richard Harding, the Environment Agency's project manager for the scheme, said: "We are aware this will disappoint people hoping for the protection a scheme like this would have provided.
"We believed this was a perfectly viable scheme."
Since 1998, when the town last flooded, the Environment Agency has been working on a scheme to protect against a repeat occurance.
But the main part of the scheme, set to cost £12m, depended on support from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to go ahead.
Facing competition from flood-prevention schemes around the country, Banbury's bid for funding has not been successful.
Richard Harding, the Environment Agency's project manager for the scheme, said: "We are aware this will disappoint people hoping for the protection a scheme like this would have provided.
"We believed this was a perfectly viable scheme."
Labels:
banbury,
flood prevention,
oxfordshire
Thursday, 27 July 2006
Oxfordshire: 'Drugs would help me live longer'
The Oxford Mail reports today that a cancer sufferer fears he will die before he can finish his revolutionary eco-home because he has been refused what he believes is a life-saving drug.
Malcolm Cole, 67, from Fulbrook, near Burford, says he knows the Multiple Myeloma cancer he developed in 1993 will kill him eventually, but says a new drug called Velcade could buy him two more precious years of life.
That would give the former RAF officer the time he needs to complete a unique underground energy-saving home he has been working on for years.
However, although Velcade is available on prescription in Wales and Scotland, and in some prmary care trust areas in England, the South West Oxfordshire NHS PCT has denied Mr Cole the drug.
The trust said it followed the advice of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) which said the drug, which costs £30,000 for a course of treatment, was not cost effective.
Mr Cole says he is in a battle against time to get Velcade and believes that without the drug he will die of Multiple Myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer, before Christmas.
"Doctors have given an oath to try to preserve life, but they have the power over life and death and I feel they have decided to end my life.
Mr Cole said he had seen evidence which showed the drug had a 70 per cent success rate, but PCT spokesman Alison Brumfit said: "Decisions made on funding are based on the cost of something against how likely it is to be effective.
"There has never been a limitless pot of money and it's true that the less money we have got, the fewer treatments we can provide, but decisions are never solely based on cost."
Certainly funding can never be "limitless" - nobody believes that. But there could be a lot more money available for less "effective" yet nevertheless helpful treatments if Oxford's MPs weren't so keen on wasting billions more on the audit-failing EU.
Malcolm Cole, 67, from Fulbrook, near Burford, says he knows the Multiple Myeloma cancer he developed in 1993 will kill him eventually, but says a new drug called Velcade could buy him two more precious years of life.
That would give the former RAF officer the time he needs to complete a unique underground energy-saving home he has been working on for years.
However, although Velcade is available on prescription in Wales and Scotland, and in some prmary care trust areas in England, the South West Oxfordshire NHS PCT has denied Mr Cole the drug.
The trust said it followed the advice of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) which said the drug, which costs £30,000 for a course of treatment, was not cost effective.
Mr Cole says he is in a battle against time to get Velcade and believes that without the drug he will die of Multiple Myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer, before Christmas.
"Doctors have given an oath to try to preserve life, but they have the power over life and death and I feel they have decided to end my life.
Mr Cole said he had seen evidence which showed the drug had a 70 per cent success rate, but PCT spokesman Alison Brumfit said: "Decisions made on funding are based on the cost of something against how likely it is to be effective.
"There has never been a limitless pot of money and it's true that the less money we have got, the fewer treatments we can provide, but decisions are never solely based on cost."
Certainly funding can never be "limitless" - nobody believes that. But there could be a lot more money available for less "effective" yet nevertheless helpful treatments if Oxford's MPs weren't so keen on wasting billions more on the audit-failing EU.
Labels:
drugs,
NHS cuts,
oxfordshire,
velcade
Thursday, 20 July 2006
Oxford: NHS cutbacks hit social care
Oxfordshire's social services are creaking at the seams because of the NHS funding crisis, councillors claim - reports the Oxford Mail.
County councillors are set to complain to the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust that changes to its services are putting the social care department under extreme pressure.
On Tuesday, members of the council's cabinet called for a halt to cuts in community-based NHS services. The knock-on effect has forced the council to spend £250,000 more on social care at this stage of the financial year than projected.
This figure looks set to more than double by the end of March next year, as NHS cuts cause demand for council-run services to grow.
At the cabinet meeting, councillors were told that:
- a joint primary care trust and council budget used to buy care home beds for the elderly was £300,000 overspent by the end of May and planned expenditure for September was now being used;
- an NHS fund to pay for long-term care beds was not increased in line with inflation this year, putting more pressure on the same budget
- the ORH is reducing the average length of time people spend in hospital, leading to increased demand for social care beds;
- some 31 beds in the Radcliffe Infirmary have been closed this year and while PCTs are paying for alternative beds this financial year, there is no commitment for payment to continue next year.
With this news, can Oxford's MPs in all conscience vote billions of pounds extra per year away to the EU - completely without justification - while local services clearly need more cash to provide necessary care? What would such irresponsible choices with scarce public money communicate to local voters about the real interest of their MPs in ensuring decent local health and social care services?
County councillors are set to complain to the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust that changes to its services are putting the social care department under extreme pressure.
On Tuesday, members of the council's cabinet called for a halt to cuts in community-based NHS services. The knock-on effect has forced the council to spend £250,000 more on social care at this stage of the financial year than projected.
This figure looks set to more than double by the end of March next year, as NHS cuts cause demand for council-run services to grow.
At the cabinet meeting, councillors were told that:
- a joint primary care trust and council budget used to buy care home beds for the elderly was £300,000 overspent by the end of May and planned expenditure for September was now being used;
- an NHS fund to pay for long-term care beds was not increased in line with inflation this year, putting more pressure on the same budget
- the ORH is reducing the average length of time people spend in hospital, leading to increased demand for social care beds;
- some 31 beds in the Radcliffe Infirmary have been closed this year and while PCTs are paying for alternative beds this financial year, there is no commitment for payment to continue next year.
With this news, can Oxford's MPs in all conscience vote billions of pounds extra per year away to the EU - completely without justification - while local services clearly need more cash to provide necessary care? What would such irresponsible choices with scarce public money communicate to local voters about the real interest of their MPs in ensuring decent local health and social care services?
Labels:
banbury,
NHS cuts,
oxford,
oxfordshire,
social services
Wednesday, 19 July 2006
Witney: GPs hit by PCT cash shortage
Plans for a bigger, better building for Witney's largest health centre have been scuppered because of a lack of NHS funding, reports the Oxford Mail.
GPs and staff at Windrush Health Centre - which has about 12,700 registered patients - were finally given hope of replacing the cramped, outdated surgery with a new building after getting the go-ahead from health managers to develop its site in Welch Way.
They organised for architects to assess the site and plans were drawn up - but have now had to postpone work after South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust said there was no money available to fund the surgery once it was built.
Senior practice partner Dr Paul Watson said: "Unfortunately, because of the dire financial circumstances in the health economy, no surgery developments are currently being supported, even though we are desperately short of space.
"We do not know when or whether we will be able to begin work on our new building."
The new centre would have had double the floor space of the existing surgery.
Dr Watson added: "The problem is that there's always buck-passing. Government sets new targets, but the funding doesn't match."
Witney's 15-bed Moorview Hospital, which treated elderly people with mental health problems, closed last month as part of the Mental Health NHS Trust's plans to reduce a projected £7.2m gap in its budget.
Ruth Atkins, spokesman for South West and South East Oxfordshire PCT, said before 2004, rent payments for GP surgeries were funded centrally at no cost to PCTs or local health authorities.
Ms Atkins said although Windrush Health Centre was a number one priority for South Oxfordshire PCT, this may not be the case when the PCTs merge in October.
GPs and staff at Windrush Health Centre - which has about 12,700 registered patients - were finally given hope of replacing the cramped, outdated surgery with a new building after getting the go-ahead from health managers to develop its site in Welch Way.
They organised for architects to assess the site and plans were drawn up - but have now had to postpone work after South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust said there was no money available to fund the surgery once it was built.
Senior practice partner Dr Paul Watson said: "Unfortunately, because of the dire financial circumstances in the health economy, no surgery developments are currently being supported, even though we are desperately short of space.
"We do not know when or whether we will be able to begin work on our new building."
The new centre would have had double the floor space of the existing surgery.
Dr Watson added: "The problem is that there's always buck-passing. Government sets new targets, but the funding doesn't match."
Witney's 15-bed Moorview Hospital, which treated elderly people with mental health problems, closed last month as part of the Mental Health NHS Trust's plans to reduce a projected £7.2m gap in its budget.
Ruth Atkins, spokesman for South West and South East Oxfordshire PCT, said before 2004, rent payments for GP surgeries were funded centrally at no cost to PCTs or local health authorities.
Ms Atkins said although Windrush Health Centre was a number one priority for South Oxfordshire PCT, this may not be the case when the PCTs merge in October.
Friday, 14 July 2006
Oxfordshire: Stark warning on NHS cuts
A report by Oxfordshire County Council's director for social and community services, Charles Waddicor, issues a stark warning about the cuts being proposed to health services in Oxfordshire - reports the Oxford Times.
He makes it clear that the rush to cut services to keep within budget is being made with little thought about the impact on services provided by other authorities like the county council.
It is a classic example of the lack of joined-up government.
We have said before that the health authorities should not be forced to make cuts to get within budget in a short space of time. If they do have to go through this, then it should be phased over a period of two or three years.
It avoids the need for drastic decisions and it means the health authorities can take a more measured look at what they are proposing to do, including the knock-on effects of any cuts.
He makes it clear that the rush to cut services to keep within budget is being made with little thought about the impact on services provided by other authorities like the county council.
It is a classic example of the lack of joined-up government.
We have said before that the health authorities should not be forced to make cuts to get within budget in a short space of time. If they do have to go through this, then it should be phased over a period of two or three years.
It avoids the need for drastic decisions and it means the health authorities can take a more measured look at what they are proposing to do, including the knock-on effects of any cuts.
Thursday, 29 June 2006
Oxfordshire: Petitions to Government over NHS cuts
The Abingdon Herald reports today that 50,000 local residents have signed petitions against cuts to Oxfordshire's health service.
In south Oxfordshire, 30,000 pledged their support to efforts to save the county's community hospitals, with an additional 17,000 signing their opposition to cuts proposed by the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.
A further 3,000 residents signed an on-line petition condemning the trust's plans to cut 600 jobs in order to reduce a £33m budget deficit.
Dr Ajit Singh Bhart, mayor of Bicester, said Government promises about a new hospital for Bicester had been broken.
Witney mayor Chrissie Curry said: "Moorview Hospital closed this week despite a huge petition and lobbying. We just want fair funding for Oxfordshire."
In south Oxfordshire, 30,000 pledged their support to efforts to save the county's community hospitals, with an additional 17,000 signing their opposition to cuts proposed by the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.
A further 3,000 residents signed an on-line petition condemning the trust's plans to cut 600 jobs in order to reduce a £33m budget deficit.
Dr Ajit Singh Bhart, mayor of Bicester, said Government promises about a new hospital for Bicester had been broken.
Witney mayor Chrissie Curry said: "Moorview Hospital closed this week despite a huge petition and lobbying. We just want fair funding for Oxfordshire."
Thursday, 20 April 2006
Oxfordshire: NHS merger plans to combat debts
Plans for a major reorganisation of Oxfordshire's health service threaten months of upheaval at a time when the NHS is grappling with massive debts - reports the Abingdon Herald.
The Thames Valley Health Authority, faced with presiding over job cuts as the size of its deficit grows weekly, is to be abolished.
Instead, it will form part of a giant new strategic NHS authority, which will also include Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The news comes as the size of the budget deficit facing the Thames Valley authority is estimated as being anything between £35m and £82m.
Mark Ladbrooke, chairman of Unison's Oxfordshire Health branch, said the union had unsuccessfully fought for a postponement of cuts in wards and community hospitals during the consultation on the reorganisation.
The Thames Valley Health Authority, faced with presiding over job cuts as the size of its deficit grows weekly, is to be abolished.
Instead, it will form part of a giant new strategic NHS authority, which will also include Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The news comes as the size of the budget deficit facing the Thames Valley authority is estimated as being anything between £35m and £82m.
Mark Ladbrooke, chairman of Unison's Oxfordshire Health branch, said the union had unsuccessfully fought for a postponement of cuts in wards and community hospitals during the consultation on the reorganisation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
