The Heart Campaign is revving up to take legal action.
The campaign is aiming to stop any moves to take heart care services from Torbay Hospital over to Exeter –
A packed public meeting last Monday (13th) generated more heat than light and the campaign leader has demanded answers by the end of the month from NHS bosses.
Nobody from the NHS commissioning group was there to take questions. (See this previous Pulse article) Susie Colley says if there is no clarity by May 7th – when the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust board meets – the campaign will be seeking legal advice. She wants to know how much of the “case for change” being discussed is driven by the Government’s new Neighbourhood Health Framework, and how much by the Trust. And she wants to know exactly WHO is finally accountable for any decision.
neither does it rule it out
In a letter to MPs, councillors and the Devon Integrated Care Board – the body which spends most of the NHS budget on services it thinks are needed – she said: “To date, public statements have lacked precision and have not clearly identified who holds decision-making authority, nor the process by which any change would lawfully be made. Given the life-critical nature of pPCI [primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.] provision, this lack of clarity is unacceptable.”
So what IS a “case for change” ?
This is what it says in the local official documents. “A case for change comprehensively describes the current and future needs of the local population, the provision of local services and the key challenges facing the health and care system that must be addressed. ” It provides the platform for change and needs to present a compelling picture of what needs to change and why.
A case for change does not include any proposals for future service change – it makes an argument for why change is needed, without suggesting which specific changes are required. The report points out that heart disease is the second most prevalent form of illness in Devon and measures must be taken to reduce it. But, as Susie points out, that’s why she wants to save the Torbay service – quick care is vital. And she is suspicious that while the case for change does not recommend closing Torbay’s award-winning cardiovascular unit – neither does it rule it out.
The Neighbourhood Health Framework wants to shift patients from hospitals to community settings. What Susie – and thousands of supporters – point out is that Torbay Hospital IS the community setting for around 200,000 people, including from the South Hams.
The public meeting heard from retired consultant cardiologist Dr Phil Keeling, who warned that losing cardiology services at Torbay would lead to other departments being closed or moved. The meeting also heard how a 10-year public campaign in Huddersfield had fought plans by the local ICB to move accident and emergency services. Torbay’s Heart Campaign is now hoping to raise a £40,000 fighting fund – just in case battle lines are drawn.
Then on Monday, Torbay Hospital announced it had launched a voluntary redundancy scheme for all staff, both clinical and non-clinical, which will be open until May 10.
Within hours, Susie Colley and a colleague had both decided not to take up their posts as governors of the hospital to which they had recently been elected. Three local Lib Dem MPs – Caroline Voaden, Steve Darling (Torbay) and Martin Wrigley (Newton Abbot )– immediately wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressing concern about the redundancy call.
In her press statement, Susie Colley said: “At a time when NHS staff have already been stretched beyond measure…they are now being asked to consider leaving their roles. This raises serious concerns not only about workforce sustainability but also the long term future of our local hospital services.”