Issue - meetings

Members considered the following motion submitted by Councillor P. M. McDonald.

This Council fully supports the community-led "Save the Alex" Campaign which is totally opposed to the closure of Accident & Emergency and Maternity services at the Alexandra Hospital.

It has been confirmed by Professor Rod Griffiths, the Independent Chair of The Joint Services Review Stakeholder Reference Board, at a public meeting on 21st June that the reason for the potential loss of services at the Alexandra Hospital is because going forward “we have a lot less money"

Encouraged by Professor Rod Griffiths’ statements, Council agrees to write to the Health Minister, Andrew Lansley MP, requesting that the shortfall of funding for Worcestershire NHS, said to be £200 Million over 4 years or approximately £1 Million per week (of which the acute hospitals share is £50 Million), is funded by Government, thus safeguarding all services in the County.

Also requesting the Minister receives a delegation of leaders from Redditch Borough Council, Bromsgrove District Council, Stratford-on Avon District Council and the "Save The Alex" campaign so that we can make our case.

Further, the Chief Executive, the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition are tasked to:-

(1)       vigorously represent the Council's position to Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust (WAHT), Worcestershire Health Care Trust (WHCT) and Worcestershire NHS;

(2)       pursue with all Worcestershire and Neighbouring NHS Trusts all           alternative organisational strategies which will safeguard services in            Redditch; and

(3)       join with any campaigns which advance and promote the Council's       position.”

The motion was moved by Councillor P. M. McDonald and seconded by Councillor S. P. Shannon.

Councillor P. M. McDonald stated that, under the proposals being put forward for consultation, both Accident and Emergency Services and Maternity Services at the Alexandra Hospital were threatened with closure. Councillor P. M. McDonald declared that the proposals were outrageous, the overall risk was a rise in ill-health and preventable deaths and that the Government should provide adequate funding for the health service.

The Leader supported the sentiments contained within the Motion, however, it was suggested that that there was no evidence that the current proposals were the result of reduced funding. Other, service-related reasons had been cited by the NHS Trust at the recent Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting for proposing these changes. It was proposed that the Majority Group would support the Motion should the second and third paragraphs be removed, and this request was acceded to by the proposer and seconder and the Motion altered accordingly. Councillor S. J. Baxter welcomed the cross-party consensus and added her support to the altered Motion.

The altered Motion was then put to the vote and the Chairman declared it to be unanimously CARRIED in the following terms.

RESOLVED that “this Council fully supports the community-led "Save the Alex" Campaign which is totally opposed to the closure of Accident & Emergency and Maternity services at the Alexandra Hospital.

Also requesting the Minister receives a delegation of leaders from Redditch Borough Council, Bromsgrove District Council,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32