In the nationwide survey, seven of out ten local authorities are withdrawing services because of cuts in spending from NHS Trusts. Many NHS organisations have stopped funding joint projects and referred patients on to social services which would normally be dealt with by hospitals. In turn, councils are being forced to reduce provision for low-level care needs, increase waiting times and cut funding from other budgets like leisure or transport. These funding pressures could also feed through to higher council tax bills next year.
Mr. Dunne said: "Despite the hard work of public sector workers, financial mismanagement by Ministers in Whitehall is leading to cuts in frontline services. We know all about this in Shropshire where the NHS Trust of Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals, used by many of my constituents, had a deficit last year of £12.1m to add to its well publicised historic deficit. But the West Midlands Ambulance NHS Trust also ran up a deficit of £2.86m. Shropshire County Primary Care Trust managed to generate a small surplus, yet is looking for major savings in the current year, as we know all too well.
This lack of funding means that beds in Ludlow and Bishop's Castle community hospitals in my constituency are under threat. Across the country, local hospitals are having to sack staff and cancel operations because their budgets are in the red.
"But worse, these NHS cuts are now likely to hit local councils, since health and social services are so closely linked. Elderly and vulnerable people are suffering as hospitals cut care provision, and councils do not have the funds to cope.
"We have all been aware of Labour's squeeze on council budgets, but to expect council tax payers to bail out the NHS is unfair. Patients, nurses and doctors deserve far more from the Labour Government than botched reorganisations, inconsistent policies and now cutbacks and closures."
