There was a public meeting today held at 14:00.
Our Pamela Wood went along as a member of the SMDC health scrutiny panel. She further questioned Marcus Warnes and delivered a strong message and question to the CCG and the District Council..
Here is the statement:
“It has become apparent that the real agenda underlying the bed closures at Leek Moorlands Hospital is the closure of the whole site.
Once the beds have gone the hospital will be pronounced unviable and the whole site vacated.The NHS will then sell the land for building and North Staffs CCG will receive a cut from that sale, thereby reducing their deficit.
The District Council will then receive a new homes bonus for every new home they build on that site. A win-win situation for the CCG and District Council – a disaster for people of the Moorlands.
As a result of this we feel justified in writing to Central Government to prompt an investigation into the relationship, if any, between the CCG and the District Council.We will also be taking the petition to Staffordshire County Council to prompt a debate. And we will be writing to Simon Stephens at NHS England.
Taking into account the values and principles of the NHS Constitution, where it is clearly laid out that patients and the public are at the heart of everything they do, a case for change should not be considered without full consultation.
Are you willing to make this Case for Change document public, and if not why not? Because this document will clearly lay out what objectives and outcomes you have already decided and what you wish to achieve.
As a result of the Mid Staffs affair Sir Robert Francis introduced a Duty of Candour into the NHS Constitution to promote a culture of openness. Please can you tell me how holding meetings in private and submitting a Case for Change to NHS England before a fully communicated and advertised public consultation fits in with this culture of openness?”
Their reaction was not good. We mean business…
#saveleekhospital