Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Halifax Philip Allot is encouraging all Calderdale Councillors to support a motion that calls on Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT), Locala and South West Yorkshire Foundation Partnership Trust to:
- withdraw the proposals set out in their Strategic Outline Case for the future of the NHS and social care in Calderdale and Huddersfield, and in particular the ‘preferred option’
- enable the two local authorities and the two Clinical Commissioning Groups to lead an open consultation about future health and social care provision in Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield, through establishing a health and care commission to take evidence, lead consultation and produce proposals regarding future health and social care provision across the Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield health and social care “economy”
- requests Cabinet to take all necessary steps to secure this outcome.
The Council is to discuss this motion at a special meeting on Wednesday 16th April, 6pm at Halifax Town Hall.
Members of the public will be lobbying Councillors outside the Town Hall from 5pm.
Philip Allot (L) with Halifax Conservatives and Gary Scott (R)
Mr Allot told Halifax resident Katherine Horner that he is encouraging all Councillors to support the motion since he believes that a full A&E for Halifax is essential. All parties and none came out for the family-friendly amble in Halifax on March 15th to Save Our A&Es, with Mr Allot and fellow Halifax Conservatives among them.
CHFT’s preferred option includes downgrading Calderdale Royal Hospital A&E to a minor injuries unit (MIU) without any guarantee of 24 hour opening. This won’t provide emergency care for Calderdale. NHS Choices website says that MIUs can’t treat:
chest pain, breathing difficulties, major injuries, problems usually dealt with by a GP, stomach pains, gynaecological problems, pregnancy problems, allergic reactions, overdoses, alcohol related problems, mental health problems, conditions likely to require hospital admission
Despite claims that they haven’t made any decision, Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG’s) Strategic 5 Year Plan strongly suggests that the CCG are committed to one of the options 2-4 – their Plan shows that savings from reduced hospital beds and treatments (part of Options 2-4) would pay for the costs of setting up the new (cheaper) system of integrated health and social care in the community, which they are committed to through the Better Care Fund and their own Strategic 5 Year Plan.
Don’t Panic!
At the start of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Arthur Dent wakes up to find the Council’s yellow bulldozer ready to knock down his house to make way for a hyperspatial express route.
As Arthur lies in front of the bulldozer, a Council official, Mr Prosser, tells him:
“You were quite entitled to make any suggestions or protests at the appropriate time you know… the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months..the plans were on display …”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a torch.”
“Ah, well the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard.”
This is what it feels like trying to make sense of Calderdale CCG’s “engagement” plans for the Strategic Review – which last week’s Governing Body meeting failed to sign off although the engagement’s going ahead – without an agreed plan. This raises a big question mark about why the haste? And another big question mark about whether the CCG is acting in line with its legal duties to allow public involvement in decision making?
You can read the full text of the Special Council Motion here: