Massive health service cuts could see speech and language therapy, oral health and podiatry services wiped out.
Board members argued that the loss of these services – which would save £176,000 – could increase costs in other areas.
MP Mark Lancaster listens intently at Stantonbury Campus during the debate on Financial Education in MK The cuts will only be made if the hospital’s budget cannot be reduced by more than the £2.8million cut already agreed.
A recruitment freeze has been hailed as one of the ways to save cash. It is understood that some city services are already under immense pressure due to staffing issues.
But PCT chairman Malcolm Brighton claimed there was no other way, saying after the PCT Trust board meeting last Thursday: “We must make sufficient cuts.
“If we don’t do it the Strategic Health Authority will be obliged to send in someone else who will make them.” PCT bosses will also encourage higher use of walk-in centres as an alternative to using the hospital’s accident and emergency department.
The hospital has the second highest rate of zero day admissions in the country. This is when patients are admitted for longer than four hours but remain on the A and E assessment unit.
This means they obtain a lot more cash from the PCT......
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