REDDITCH Borough Council has called for the break-up of the local health trust ‘as soon as possible’ after it was branded inadequate by the national health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission.
The cross-party motion, backed by local MP Karen Lumley, was proposed by Redditch’s Labour Leader Councillor Bill Hartnett and seconded by the leader of the Conservative group, Coun Juliet Brunner, and was approved unanimously.
Members also called for the trust’s review into the future of acute services in Worcestershire to be abandoned.
The call quickly won the backing of Coun Margaret Sherrey, leader of Bromsgrove District Council, who said something ‘revolutionary’ was needed to sort it out.
The original motion was brought forward as an urgent item at full council on Monday (December 7), stating: “The council notes the recent unacceptable events not only at the Alex but across the whole of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust (WAHT), and endorses the proposed action by the Leader and the local MP Karen Lumley, to request that the Secretary of State, NHS England, and the Trust Development Authority to investigate the breaking up of WAHT as soon as possible, abandon the ongoing Acute Services Review and allow other high performing trusts to provide healthcare services in Worcestershire.”
WAHT is currently running at a projected loss of £61 million for the financial year 2015/16, although this is likely to rise.
“Issues have escalated over the last couple of weeks with the movement of maternity services to Worcester with less than a week’s notice. The trust has now been put into special measures, essentially due to failings in the senior leadership.
We find this absolutely unacceptable,” said Coun Hartnett (Lab, Church Hill).
Coun Brunner (Con, Matchborough) said: “I am proud to live in a town where all political parties can stand shoulder to shoulder to get the best for the people of Redditch. I also thank our MP Karen Lumley who has been fighting our corner.”
Coun Hartnett will now be approaching the leader of Stratford District Council, and the MPs of Bromsgrove and Stratford, to seek their support for the motion.
