Fear hospital downgrading could become permanent

NHS Gloucestershire said the changes were temporary and aimed at improving patient care and efficiency

There are fears the "temporary" downgrading of a local hospital may lead to a permanent change in services.

NHS bosses in Gloucestershire have said they want to test the potential benefits of organising some services differently at Cirencester Hospital in a bid to improve patient care and efficiency. Under the plans, all theatre activity will be suspended for at least six months.

County councillor Joe Harris said he was worried that the temporary changes would become permanent and called it a "downgrade by the backdoor".

NHS Gloucestershire said the trial, bringing together specialist teams in community hospitals, could create "centres of excellence".

"It is important to stress that no plans have been made, or decisions made, about individual services, facilities or sites over the long term," they added.

The NHS also insisted the trial would reduce delays and last-minute cancellations "by resources being spread across multiple sites".

After the trial, a review will take place.

Gloucestershire Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said the alterations are part of a "test of change" to improve patient care, experience and outcomes and increase efficiency.

But Harris said NHS bosses were using Cirencester Hospital as "dumping ground" for endless "trials and cuts", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Citing what he said had been a lack of public consultation, he added: "There is simply no confidence that this six-month 'pause' won't become permanent by default."

Harris is calling on NHS Gloucestershire to guarantee that all services currently paused will be reinstated after the trial period.

"Rather than downgrading services in Cirencester, we should be investing in our community hospitals to keep care close to home and take the pressure off the larger acute hospitals," he said.

Gloucestershire county councillor Joe Harris said he is concerned that the changes would become permanent

Chief medical officer at NHS Gloucestershire, Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram MBE, said: "We look forward to reviewing the evaluation reports, including the views and experiences of patients.

"The reports will be shared publicly at the end of the trial periods.

"We will continue to work closely with the county's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee."