This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31017028

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
New 'major incident' guidelines for NHS hospitals questioned New 'major incident' guidelines for NHS hospitals questioned
(35 minutes later)
New guidelines issued to NHS hospitals in the West Midlands over when they can call "major incidents" have prompted claims ministers are seeking to deter hospitals from declaring a crisis.New guidelines issued to NHS hospitals in the West Midlands over when they can call "major incidents" have prompted claims ministers are seeking to deter hospitals from declaring a crisis.
It is understood they were drawn up after a spate of "major incidents" this month due to pressure on bed spaces.It is understood they were drawn up after a spate of "major incidents" this month due to pressure on bed spaces.
Hospitals must now check community services have been "flexed" to support early patient discharge and available community capacity has been utilised.Hospitals must now check community services have been "flexed" to support early patient discharge and available community capacity has been utilised.
NHS England has defended its "advice".NHS England has defended its "advice".
But Labour is calling on Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to clarify why the new guidelines have been issued and whether patient safety has been put at risk because hospitals are deterred from declaring major incidents.But Labour is calling on Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to clarify why the new guidelines have been issued and whether patient safety has been put at risk because hospitals are deterred from declaring major incidents.
Labour is also demanding to know whether other NHS regions have issued similar advice.Labour is also demanding to know whether other NHS regions have issued similar advice.
The new guidelines have been issued by the West Midlands NHS region to hospitals, GPs and Ambulance Trusts in their area - which includes Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton.The new guidelines have been issued by the West Midlands NHS region to hospitals, GPs and Ambulance Trusts in their area - which includes Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton.
Among 17 additional criteria, hospitals must ensure elective operations have been cancelled so staff can be redeployed for emergency care. Among 17 specific criteria, hospitals are being asked to ensure elective operations have been cancelled so staff can be redeployed for emergency care, to assess the number of ambulances waiting to arrive and the position elsewhere in the surrounding area and to determine whether all alternative bed spaces have been utilised and are staffed.
These factors, it says, "should be used as a guide to the level of information that a trust should have in place before raising any further steps required".
'Advice''Advice'
A spokesman for NHS England denied the guidelines were designed to deter hospitals form declaring a major incident.A spokesman for NHS England denied the guidelines were designed to deter hospitals form declaring a major incident.
He said: "This is not a note saying don't call a "major incident". It is advice to them saying if they are going to declare a major incident here are some things that might help."He said: "This is not a note saying don't call a "major incident". It is advice to them saying if they are going to declare a major incident here are some things that might help."
However, in an email exchange seen by the BBC, a head of operations at one NHS Trust in the West Midlands region says he believes the guidelines have been introduced "to effectively stop trusts from calling a major incident". But Labour is pressing Mr Hunt to say whether he was aware of the new guidelines, whether he approved them and why they had been introduced "so abruptly".
"Procedures for declaring major incidents are long-established in the NHS and it is a highly unusual move for new guidance to be issued in the middle of a difficult winter," shadow health secretary Andy Burnham wrote in a letter to his counterpart.
"This had led some in the NHS to question the motives behind it."
In an email exchange seen by the BBC, a head of operations at one NHS Trust in the West Midlands region says he believes the guidelines have been introduced "to effectively stop trusts from calling a major incident".
He writes: "This is the enhanced criteria that have been introduced by NHS England to effectively stop trusts from calling a major incident. Worth sharing with emergency department consultants as our hands will be tied in most cases if they wish to call a major incident for capacity reasons."He writes: "This is the enhanced criteria that have been introduced by NHS England to effectively stop trusts from calling a major incident. Worth sharing with emergency department consultants as our hands will be tied in most cases if they wish to call a major incident for capacity reasons."
In the same email exchange, an A&E consultant says: "It strikes me as an attempt to dampen down the heat and media attention on the emergency departments and their major incidents."In the same email exchange, an A&E consultant says: "It strikes me as an attempt to dampen down the heat and media attention on the emergency departments and their major incidents."
'Dampen down'
The fact such concerns were being raised were a "very serious matter", Mr Burnham said.
"It is clear from the emails I have seen that clinicians and managers at the front-line have interpreted this guidance as a move to keep A&E pressures out of the news," he added in his letter.
"I am sure you will agree that is a worrying perception and will want to take steps to answer the questions I have set out as a matter of urgency."
The NHS in England missed its four-hour A&E waiting time target between October and December, with performance dropping to its lowest level for a decade.
Figures published earlier this month showed that 92.6% of patients were seen in four hours - below the 95% target.
The government has acknowledged the NHS is facing acute pressures this winter but has defended its performance and said additional funding is being made available.