The public can ask questions at the Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Groups Governing Bodies meeting at 1.30pm, Wednesday 20th January at Briar Court Hotel, Halifax Road, Huddersfield HD3.
My question is about whether the decision to make Calderdale Royal Hospital the acute/ A&E hospital is down to the need for the hospitals Trust to maximise the value of the CRH PFI contract.
It is in several parts. But first, some background:
At the Calderdale and Kirklees Joint Health Scrutiny Committee (JHSC) meeting on 21st October, the Monitor employee said that that Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust needed to:
“maximise the value of the Calderdale Royal Hospital (CRH) PFI contract”.
Responding to this information, the JHSC Chair Cllr Elizabeth Smaje asked:
“Are Monitor looking at which site would be better for hot and cold services in order to maximise the value/ potential of the PFI site?”
The Monitor rep ducked the question by saying:
My questions are:
- How does the decision to make CRH the acute/emergency hospital maximise its value/potential? (Particularly since acute and A&E services are costly and ‘unprofitable’ and the elective care services are the ‘profitable’ bits of hospital services.)
- Was EY responsible for the financial modelling that identified how to ‘maximise the value/potential of the PFI site?
- If not, who was?
- Where are the documents that show this financial modelling?
- Where are the minutes of the meetings which discussed this financial modelling and, in the light of it, reached the decision to make CRH the acute/ A&E site?
- What weight did the CCGs assign to the issue of maximising the value/potential of the PFI site (CRH) when they decided to make it the acute/ A&E hospital?
- How much say has Monitor had in the decision to make CRH the acute/A&E hospital?
- Given that elective care is the most profitable hospital service, is it the intention that once the Huddersfield elective care centre is up and running, it will be sold off to a private provider, (such as Locala?)
Good questions Jenny. I think their stuff on public consultation is also particularly poor. Is it worth a question around this? Also, there is very limited info in the report around the study by the traffic management/engineering group and it’s claim that 15 minutes is the average travel time for most people from most areas to the 2 sites! I was also curious about the claim that the case to withdraw from the PFI has been proved untenable, which was stated but not shown in the report. Any thoughts?
Hi Joy, too late now for more questions to gov body meeting on Weds – their deadline was yesterday. But can keep asking more questions elsewhere. The Plain Speaker analysis of the PCBC will be online soon and I can put your questions there. Re renegotiation/withdrawal from PFI, Owen Williams CHFT Chief Exec told Gary and me, when we met him as parliamentary candidates before the General Election, that the Trust had tried and failed to make a case that the PFI debt was an onerous debt (and therefore basically unlawful). There are other ways of dealing with the PFI debt however, there are posts on this on Plain Speaker.
Good questions if we can understand the ambiguous answers,As some A & E services have been cut in Burnley that may have a added pressure.are E+Y at work over the border?
If answers are ambiguous will just keep seeking clarification until it’s given. EY are at work all over the place, don’t know specifically if they’ve been at work in Burnley