Oxford city councillors blast ‘farcical’ NHS savings plan

A major health shake-up being ‘foisted’ on the public will risk patient safety, Oxford councillors have warned.

During an impassioned debate at Town Hall, they said the changes could ‘seriously impact on the health and welfare of the local population’.

It came as Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) faced criticism for plans drawn up with Buckinghamshire and West Berkshire to save millions of pounds by 2020.

The CCG is due to reveal the first part of these in January for consultation but has faced accusations of overblown secrecy. A confidential copy of the so-called sustainability and transformation plan (STP) has already been published by Reading Borough Council in protest.

It outlines plans to plug a £200m predicted deficit in Oxfordshire’s NHS by 2020. These include reducing the number of qualified nurses, giving ‘new roles’ to Oxfordshire’s community hospitals and cutting the number of beds in hospitals.

But in a debate on Monday night, it was branded ‘gobbledygook’ by angry Oxford city councillors.

In a motion passed with cross-party support, they said: “Council rejects the suggestion there is a safe way to reduce the current level of NHS provision by £200m”.

Craig Simmons, leader of the Green group, warned the STP amounted to ‘proposals to reduce the level of healthcare and open up the NHS to private companies’.

He said: “It is utter gobbledygook. We should not support financially-driven cuts, but that is clearly what this STP is. Any change must be care-driven.”

Referring to the confidentiality of the document, he added: “I think it speaks volumes to the secrecy and absence of consultation that has surrounded it.”

Labour’s Ed Turner, deputy leader of the city council, said the STP had been ‘really hideously handled’.

He said: “If there are difficult decisions to be made, you will get the best possible public engagement if you are open, honest and frank about the challenges.

“But this process where NHS England has been ordering CCGs to keep things under wraps just inevitably fosters mistrust and encourages speculation. It is no way to run a health service.”

Another Labour councillor, Alex Hollingsworth, said: “It is the most farcically inadequate document I have ever seen. There is clearly a competence issue.”

Liberal Democrat deputy group leader Liz Wade added: “The STP is filled with meaningless jargon and there has been no consultation.

“We have serious concerns about patient safety.”

The CCG was asked for comment but did not respond.

Article originally published by Oxford Mail

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