New era NHS is 'essential' says hospital boss

Nick Hulme spoke to the BBC as the Labour government's new 10-year health strategy was published on Thursday

A hospital boss has admitted that NHS services are struggling and said it is essential for the government's new 10-year plan to work.

Changes are being made as part of Labour's 10-year health strategy published today.

Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) said: "We are not in crisis yet, but we are in a really, really tricky situation."

Part of the shake-up will lead to neighbourhood health services rolled out across the country in an attempt to bring diagnostics, mental health, post-op, rehab, and nursing to people's doorsteps.

The plan has put more emphasis on community care and GP surgeries but Mr Hulme, in charge at Colchester Hospital and Ipswich Hospital, said there needs to be funding to go with it.

He told the BBC: "We can see full hospitals up and down the country, sadly, with patients still waiting in the corridors.

"That is something we might have seen in the winter four or five years ago - we now see it throughout the year.

"We know the NHS simply cannot cope with that level of demand with the resources we have at the moment."

He said there were significant challenges in A&E and on waiting times.

Prevention and support

He believes the NHS needs to change what the public can expect from the service and shift the focus away from just purely hospital care.

Mr Hulme said frail, elderly, people who still live independently were most likely to be brought into the hospital after a fall or infection.

"We know in our communities who is at highest risk at being admitted into hospital.

"If we get some care and get some prevention and support those families and individuals much earlier it will prevent them coming into hospital for issues that they don't need an acute bed for, " he added.

He also said the plan hopes to bring the NHS "into the 21st Century" by encouraging people to use the NHS app and booking appointments electronically.