Denying the fat of the land

The NHS in Devon has a £14.5m deficit and says the cuts are needed to help it meet waiting list targets. So smokers and the morbidly obese in Devon will be denied routine surgery unless they quit smoking or lose weight. Shoulder surgery will also be restricted for everyone in Devon (obese or not). The hard of hearing will only be provided with one hearing aid, instead of the normal two. A second hearing aid show far lesser cost effectiveness than the first, they say.

The Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (NEW Devon CCG) “ has a legal duty to live within its financial resources and the prioritisation of services is helping us to do that." said Dr Burke, its chair. 

In Devon the cuts are showing elsewhere too. Last week a 16 year old girl in a mental health crisis was kept in a police cell for several days as there was no mental health bed for her anywhere. Under-18’s non-emergency mental health needs should have been met by Virgin - to whom Devon have controversially outsourced child mental health services. Devon CCG have refused to say how much they have spent on child mental health services. 

 In Devon 750 mentally ill people, including 28 children, have been detained in police custody because of a shortage of hospital beds in the last 12 months.

Also in Devon it emerged this week that over-stretched GPs are telling depressed patients to call a non-NHS helpline rather than approach their GP.