THE future role of Farnham Hospital is currently under review by health chiefs. Bosses at Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust (PCT) are looking at ways of improving bed usage at the community hospital. The PCT is currently having to grapple with an overspend of around £3 million which has raised concern about the possibility of job losses. Health officials say, however, that the current review at Farnham Hospital is not a cost- cutting exercise. They are hoping that the review will streamline the use of hospital beds and help prevent having to send patients to acute hospital for diagnosis. A spokeswoman for Guildford and Waverley PCT said: "It is timely to review Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health as it has now been in operation for over a year and this is an opportunity to assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of the services. "The PCT routinely considers and monitors the financial cost of services to ensure that it provides the most cost-effective care for its population, as part of its duty to provide services appropriate to need. "One of the intentions, as a result of this review, is to make improvements to the present medical model. This includes a proposal to use community hospital beds primarily for admission avoidance to the acute hospitals. "This means using community hospital beds more effectively such as for someone who may only need to come into hospital for diagnosis of a problem. "Wherever possible we want to avoid any unneccessary admissions to the acute hospitals. "It's about being able to use facilities in the acute hospitals more appropriately, by providing the right level of beds for the right level of need. "It's not about saving money but improving care for patients and they should see the beneftis of this approach." The PCT has given an assurance that the review will not lead to a reduction in the number of nurses at the hospital only the way in which they are used. One area coming under review will be the effectiveness of "nurse-led" beds at the hospital. These are beds to which patients are admitted under the managment of a nurse consultant rather than a doctor. Liz Slinn, chief executive of Guildford and Waverley PCT said: "We want to strike the right balance between providing services and managing our financial position, and we believe that modernising services is the key to improving services and unlocking resources. "With our partners we are working to develop a community facility which provides care for patients with long term conditions and rehabilitation. "In order to achieve this we need to change the way we do things now, taking into account advances in medical technology, so that we can continue to provide patients with the right services in the right place at the right time." The full findings of the review will not be known until the end of the year.
