COUNCIL bosses have demanded the health secretary order a repeat of the review into services at the Alex.
A letter signed by Redditch Borough Council leader Bill Hartnett, Margaret Sherry in Bromsgrove and Chris Saint from Stratford, calls on Jeremy Hunt to allow University Hospitals Birmingham to bid for the site.
Currently the only option on the table which will be taken to review is for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to continue providing services in Redditch, as well as at the Worcester Royal.
Coun Hartnett said: “We sent the letter on the basis of the information which has come out.
“We have now been told it’s only a short-term fix and it is going to cost more than we initially thought.
“We want him to look at it – we are not saying give it to Birmingham but just for them to look at the options.
“We sent the letter to give them the chance to review it again in light of the information.”
In the letter, the leaders have expressed concern about the extra £1million which the option – identified by the clinical review panel – is set to cost Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group and where this money will come from.
It reads: “Presumably this will come from the overall CCG budget which will mean there is less money available for important preventative issues which will ultimately help save costs in acute services in the future.
“It therefore begs the question as to whether UHB could have provided the same services, or indeed better services, for the same money without putting the rest of the Worcestershire health economy at risk.
“When the Joint Services Review started it was supposed to offer a long-term solution for healthcare in Worcestershire – the current proposal will only last for three years at best and see a further reduction of services on offer to the people we serve.
“We therefore urge you without further delay to order a repeat of the clinical review allowing UHB to bid.”
