Here are suggested Terms of Reference – what do you all think?
The Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield People’s Commission of Inquiry (hereinafter CHPCI ) shall examine the decision of CHFT,Locala and SWYFPT to issue a Strategic Review and Strategic Outline Case for the transformation of NHS and social care, that includes reducing and downgrading hospital services and replacing them with a cost-cutting system for integrated health and social care in the community that is not evidence based, and the context for this: the fundamental changes being made to the NHS over the last 40 years.
The commission will examine:
1 a The original vision and principles underpinning the NHS, with particular reference to the community it serves and its accountability to that community.
1b The extent to which the vision and principles have been eroded by the imposition of the internal market and recent moves to open the NHS to external market forces and the degree to which these changes have been openly debated.
2. The extent to which this process has culminated in the potential destruction of quality healthcare for the community of Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield, exemplified by the proposals for reducing beds and services at Calderdale Royal Hospital and for downgrading its A&E to a Minor Injuries Unit with not even a guarantee of 24 hour care.
Point 2 should probably read “Greater Huddersfield” rather than “Greater Halifax” In addition I would remove the 40 years reference as it covers a very long period and would add something along the lines of investigating if their consultation strategies were real, full and meaningful.
I think you’ve got it covered.