Health boss says Oxfordshire NHS ‘in good place’

Health and social care leaders have been answering questions on BBC Radio Oxford.

One of Oxfordshire's health leaders has insisted services are in a "good place" as we head into winter.

Dan Leveson from the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) said providers were working together to plan for the colder months, when health services traditionally come under strain.

He was speaking to BBC Radio Oxford's Adam Ball Show as part of an expert panel on winter pressures in the NHS.

The county was now among the "best in the country" for preventing delays in people being discharged from hospitals, he said.

Figures show the rate of delayed transfers of care in Oxfordshire is currently 8.8 people per 100,000, which is less than half the national rate of 22.1 people per 100,000.

Dan Leveson from BOB ICB insisted it had built a "strong foundation" for the winter months

"It feels to me, as a system, we're in a particularly good place," he said.

"We've brought in something called the Transfer of Care Team working in our hospitals.

"So as soon as people get admitted to hospital, we're really working to look at how we can discharge them safely.

"We used to be one of the worst in the country for delays in hospitals, we're now one of the best in the country."

His comments come as BOB ICB continues to come under financial pressure.

Figures from last month's board meeting showed that the body had overspent by £6m, but expected to break even by the end of the financial year.

Meeting papers said it is expected that the wider "integrated care system" would be £46m in deficit by April 2025.

Mr Leveson said: "We are working in a deficit and we do have financial turn-around plans.

"So we've got a team of people that are working with us as a system to look at ways to recover our financial position."