HEALTH chiefs have been blasted in a stinging report from the Redditch Health Commission.
In far reaching findings the report calls for other heath trusts – not just Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust – to be given the chance to offer options to protect services for residents.
It also calls for the current plan put forward by local doctors to transfer a range of emergency services to Worcester to be abandoned and a new plan developed in view of the Section 29a warning issued to WAHT to either improve or be taken over by another, better performing trust.
Furthermore both doctors in the county’s clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and health trust chiefs – none democratically elected – have been rapped for not paying sufficient regard to the commission ‘as befits their role as the democratic representatives of the borough’.
The report also highlights the growing population of the town, the failure by health chiefs to the secure £29million needed to fully carry out their proposals, concerns over the new health Sustainability and Transformation Plan, the transportation issue, medical recruitment and the failure of health chiefs to communicate with local residents.
In coming up with a list of 12 recommendations the commission effectively paints the current health consultation into the Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire as a sham designed to rubber stamp decisions already taken and already implemented.
Neal Stote, the former chair of the Save the Alex campaign said: “This goes straight to the heart of the issue, namely the failure to engage with other health trusts like University Hospitals Birmingham. They only looked at one option and before any services are cut they should look at all the options.”
Councillor Bill Hartnett, the leader of Redditch borough council who chaired the commission, said: “We had more than 400 responses in just two weeks and more than 8,000 watched the commission on Facebook.
“I fully support the health commission’s report and look forward to presenting it to council.”
A spokesperson for the county’s CCGs said: “The submission of the health commission will be considered along with all the other submissions we have received during the consultation and all will be considered by the three CCGs at the end of the process.”
Redditch health commission, made up of a cross party group of borough councillors, heard public testimony from residents and stakeholders on January 12/14/19, 2017 at Redditch town hall.
