News / Bristol
‘NHS changes will have a discriminatory and negative impact on women’
A collective of Labour councillors have slammed proposed changes to the NHS in Bristol, arguing they will have a discriminatory and negative impact on women.
Health bosses say plans to lower the IVF eligibility age from 35 to 40 and impose restrictions on breast cancer reconstructive surgery will help plug a multi-million pound funding deficit.
But Labour women have raised serious concerns about the proposals and accused Bristol’s clinical commissioning group (CCG) of failing to sufficiently publicise the changes which could affect a great number of residents.
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“Cutting Bristolians access to IVF and the level of breast reconstruction surgery for cancer survivors isn’t about value for money – it’s a direct symptom of the £66m of cuts which our local NHS is facing as a result of Tory austerity,” says Gill Kirk, a Labour councillor for Lockleaze and retired nurse.
“Women will be hit disproportionately hard by these changes and, with the consultation closing the week after next, may not get the chance to get their voices heard.
“Bristol Labour is proud that almost 50 per cent of our councillors are women and are committed to being a strong voice for women in Bristol. As such, we are calling on the CCG to extend and better advertise this important consultation.”
A total of 16 Labour councillors have added their names to a letter to the CCG chair Martin Jones and its chief executive Julia Ross, calling for greater transparency and an extension to the consultation period to give people in Bristol a chance to make their voices heard.
They argue the proposal to lower the age at which women are eligible to receive fertility treatment does not comply with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
NHS bosses say they are fully committed to funding reconstructive surgery for women affected by breast cancer, but this will no longer stretch to surgery on the unaffected breast.
In the letter, the councillors say: “Denying corrective treatment of the unaffected breast, and considering this in the same category as ‘cosmetic’ surgery, fails to recognise the psychological impact on women recovering from breast cancer and will leave many women with a much poorer result from their reconstructive surgery.”
The CCG warns that health spending in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire has exceeded the £1.15 billion budget in recent years and the deficit is growing.
They say the raft of proposed measures, which also include restrictions on non-health related cosmetic work and treatment for sleep apnoea, scrapping homeopathy and a clampdown on the NHS providing on medicines available over the counter, could lead to a saving of £66m, leaving a regional deficit of £25m for 2017-18
The CCG says: “This is an ongoing process and proposals and plans will develop as we continue this vital transformation. We will continue to publish our proposals and review feedback and comments from patients and the public.”
For further information and to give feedback, visit the Get Involved pages of the CCG website.
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