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French hospital promises surgeries in four weeks for NHS patients delayed by the winter crisis

Comes as thousands of operations cancelled because of surging winter demand

Alex Matthews-King

Health Correspondent

Saturday 13 January 2018 14:38 GMT

One hospital is offering elective surgery in modern facilities just an hour away

A French hospital is offering “fast care” to NHS patients who have had planned operations or treatment cancelled in the UK because of surging winter demand.

The Centre Hospitalier in Calais said it can see patients within four weeks and can handle a range of elective surgical procedures.

The offer is part of a 2016 partnership deal with NHS chiefs from South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group, which allows patients to book treatment in selected French hospitals in the same way they would choose a UK hospital.

NHS hospital trusts were told to cancel all non-urgent care, including around 55,000 elective operations, until at least February ,to ensure capacity is available at A&E departments and for seeing patients whose conditions may deteriorate – such as those suffering from cancer.

A flyer from the Calais centre, sent out this week, said: “At a time when planned surgeries are cancelled in all NHS hospitals, Calais Hospital is in capacity to offer fast care to any NHS patient”.

It adds that, because of the deal, the NHS can offer UK patients care in less than four weeks with “no extended delay to be expected during winter time”.

It comes after Theresa May said that the potential cancellation of 55,000 operations, because of the recommendations of the NHS National Emergency Preparedness Panel, was “part of the plan” for winter.

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

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1/6Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

The elderly

“We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter, but we have the added pressures of the ageing population and the growing complex needs of the population,” Theresa May has said. Waits of over 12 hours in A&E among elderly people have more than doubled in two years, according to figures from NHS Digital.

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Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Patients going to A&E instead of seeing their GPs

Jeremy Hunt has called for a “honest discussion with the public about the purpose of A&E departments”, saying that around a third of A&E patients were in hospital unnecessarily. Mr Hunt told Radio 4’s Today programme the NHS now had more doctors, nurses and funding than ever, but explained what he called “very serious problems at some hospitals” by suggesting pressures were increasing in part because people are going to A&Es when they should not. He urged patients to visit their GP for non-emergency illnesses, outlined plans to release time for family doctors to support urgent care work, and said the NHS will soon be able to deliver seven-day access to a GP from 8am to 8pm. But doctors struggling amid a GP recruitment crisis said Mr Hunt’s plans were unrealistic and demanded the Government commit to investing in all areas of the overstretched health service.

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Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Simon Stevens, head of NHS England

Reports that “key members” of Ms May’s team used internal meetings to accuse Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, of being unenthusiastic and unresponsive have been rejected by Downing Street. Mr Stevens had allegedly rejected claims made by Ms May that the NHS had been given more funding than required.

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Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Previous health policy, not funding

In an interview with Sky News’s Sophy Ridge, Ms May acknowledged the NHS faced pressures but said it was a problem that had been “ducked by government over the years”. She refuted the claim that hospitals were tackling a “humanitarian crisis” and said health funding was at record levels. “We asked the NHS a while back to set out what it needed over the next five years in terms of its plan for the future and the funding that it would need,” said the Prime Minister. “They did that, we gave them that funding, in fact we gave them more funding than they required… Funding is now at record levels for the NHS, more money has been going in.” But doctors accused Ms May of being “in denial” about how the lack of additional funding provided for health and social care were behind a spiralling crisis in NHS hospitals.

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Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Target to treat all A&E patients within four hours

Mr Hunt was accused of watering down the flagship target to treat all A&E patients within four hours. The Health Secretary told MPs the promise – introduced by Tony Blair’s government in 2000 – should only be for “those who actually need it”. Amid jeers in the Commons, Mr Hunt said only four other countries pledged to treat all patients within a similar timeframe and all had “less stringent” rules. But Ms May has now said the Government will stand by the four-hour target for A&E, which says 95 per cent of patients must be dealt with within that time frame.

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Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

No one

Mr Hunt was accused of “hiding” from the public eye following news of the Red Cross’s comments and didn’t make an official statement for two days. He was also filmed refusing to answer questions from journalists who pursued him down the street yesterday to ask whether he planned to scrap the four-hour A&E waiting time target. Sky News reporter Beth Rigby pressed the Health Secretary on his position on the matter, saying “the public will want to know, Mr Hunt”. “Sorry Beth, I’ve answered questions about this already,” replied Mr Hunt. “But you didn’t answer questions on this. You said it was over-interpreted in the House of Commons and you didn’t want to water it down. Is that what you’re saying?” said Ms Rigby. “It’s very difficult, because how are we going to explain to the public what your intention is, when you change your position and then won’t answer the question, Mr Hunt”. But the Health Secretary maintained his silence until he reached his car and got in.

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The deal was struck between the hospital and the NHS in a bid to reduce escalating waiting times

Treatment costs are still covered by the NHS, and patients must make the hour journey across The Channel, but the hospital is just a five minute walk from the Calais Port and Eurostar Terminal.

Patients awaiting hip operations are among those likely to be cancelled by the postponement of elective surgery, but the Calais Centre has an orthopaedics department as well as several other surgical specialities.

The hospital has English-speaking staff and says reports, results and post operative follow-up are available in English. Most patients at the 500-bed facility will have a private room “with en suite bathroom”.

Senior A&E clinicians running 68 A&E departments in England and Wales wrote to the Prime Minister this week to warn that patients are “dying prematurely” in in corridors because of the lack of resources to cope with winter pressures.

The Independent approached South Kent Coast CCG was for comment but none had arrived at the time of publication.

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