Health bosses have warned of millions of pounds worth of cuts to services in Huddersfield.
They said the ‘wide-ranging’ and ‘potentially controversial’ cuts to Huddersfield NHS services are part of a financial recovery plan and could hit many areas.
Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) must make £8.5m of savings if it is to break even at the end of 2016/17.
The CCG, which manages local NHS services, must end the financial year with a 1% surplus.
But now NHS England has ordered the CCG to draft a recovery plan after it was forecast that the organisation was not going to achieve the surplus.
And the CCG has said it is considering ‘wide-ranging and potentially controversial system efficiencies’ to achieve an end of year break-even.
The CCG is hoping to save money in the prevention and treatment of falls, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, heart disease and skin disease together with flu and pneumonia.
Other savings will be made in mental health, prescribing, community equipment, high-cost drugs, care home support and other areas.
A report, prepared on Wednesday for CCG chiefs, said: “Greater Huddersfield CCG recognises the need to consider wide-ranging and potentially controversial system efficiencies as part of its recovery programme.
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“This could include prioritising the services we provide and potentially decommissioning or changing access to services that provide limited value for individuals or the population as a whole.”
It added: “Any such decisions will be clinically-led, evidence-based, informed by quality and equality impact, and follow appropriate engagement with the public and other stakeholders.”
Greater Huddersfield CCG Chief Officer, Carol McKenna, said: “We’re not going to achieve that trimming around the edges. This will require some significant changes.
“We will endeavour to make these changes within best clinical practices – but we don’t expect this to be easy.
“There’s a challenge to get the organisation enthused about this when it can feel a bit scary and threatening.”
