Leek Town Council Meeting held Tuesday 4th September:
Discussion on Leek Moorlands Hospital
Preamble: The following is intended to help take forward the Resolutions approved at the above meeting.
1) Public Statement (and guiding principles on how we go forward)
Represent the community: Leek Town Council (TC) will act to represent the community in its health needs, and will fight to ensure locally based high quality health facilities are maintained to serve the town and district – including a hospital complete with beds (for rehabilitation, intermediate care, step-up and end of life) and a full range of services.
ACTION: The TC will do this by: challenging the North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (NS CCG), where it has acted beyond its legal mandate in the closure of beds and relocation of services, and where it has further attempted to relocate ten Tier 4 outpatients services by stealth to University Hospital of North Midlands (UHMN); by monitoring the Sustainability Plan developments and responding robustly to the Health Authorities; by challenging the NS CCG when it publishes false statements to justify its action (for example: CCG state that in care-homes patients get up and dressed and sit in chairs, and allege that in Leek Moorlands Hospital (LMH) the care is bed-based and patients do not get up – and become “deconditioned”, whereas the opposite is the case; by notifying the Independent Review Panel (IRP) of CCG’s actions; and by keeping the public fully informed.
ACTION: Publicise on TC website, notify councils, health bodies, press etc.
Recognise the Asset of Leek Moorlands Hospital: The TC recognises the asset of the LMH, with its major current public investment, for its state-of-the-art and fit-for-the-future facilities, and will fight to ensure the hospital is central to the future planning of our health facilities.
ACTION: Reference to the Hospital as major asset included in all health planning discussions.
Acknowledge/endorse the rationale of the Leek Hospital based in the heart of the Moorlands: The TC acknowledges and endorses the rationale of our Hospital and health services being based in the heart of the Moorlands, to serve a massive 95,000 rural population dispersed over an area of 220 square miles, the current Hospital site being well located in the Town, and of a size and layout suitable to provide flexibility for on-going growth to meet future needs.
ACTION: Reject options announced by NS CCG for a “Hub” at Kniveden, or a development at Cheadle (ie No Leek Hospital).
Collaborate with SMDC: The TC will seek to collaborate with the SMDC and its Scrutiny Panel in representing the community: to ensure that the Hospital and services are on the agenda of all future Council meetings, arrange for extra meetings to be arranged in advance; to attend jointly all meetings with health authorities, and to make joint/coordinated representations to the NS CCG, our MP, the Secretary of State for Health, and IRP.
ACTION: Approach to SMDC to agree working protocol.
Work with Save Leek Hospital: TC will work with Save Leek Hospital Group in all areas in safeguarding and maintaining, and improving our local hospital and health services for the benefit of the Moorlands Community.
ACTION: Agree protocol.
Leadership Integrity: the TC will present factual reports, and seek to present a balanced account in any assessment it reports on. It will monitor and respond where public statements are made which are not based on fact or are not balanced accounts.
2). Operational/organisational matters
TC to appoint spokespersons to monitor, report, respond, publicise on health matters.
TC to set out/schedule additional meetings dates – likely to be needed as we approach NS CCG formal public consultation stage.
Hospital/services on agenda at all future meetings. Charlotte Atkins to report on the Sustainability Plan. (STP)
TC to arrange with SMDC to attend all meetings on local (Moorlands) health issues
ACTIONS: Monitor STP developments and respond.
3). Tasks
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (SMDC): Arrange meeting with Cllr Sybil Ralphs and SMDC officers. Ask for dedicated officer to coordinate all relevant information and produce a dossier to present to CCG. (Challenging all areas referred to above)
Ask SMDC to include Hospital on every parish assembly agenda. Request Parish assembly ASAP.
TC to ask SMDC to allow appropriate Town Councillor to be part of ALL meetings regarding the Hospital.
Clinical Commissioning Group:
Challenge the CCG where it has acted beyond its legal mandate: to reinstate the beds, and the phlebotomy and physiotherapy services.
Challenge the CCG that it must behave in an open transparent, open and honest manner its engagement with the public.
Challenge the CCG to issue list of all services available at Hospital now, and all services which were available 12 months ago and 2 years ago.
Question the CCG’s action by stealth to push through the cancellation of Tier 4 services
Challenge CCG’s behaviour since the IRP Report.
Contact IRP to report on CCG’s behaviour
Parish Councils: The town council to write to every parish council to ask for support.