Watchdog welcomes ‘pause’ in local NHS merger

Southport  NHS ‘Watchdog’, Councillor has welcomed the statement by health Service ‘purchasers’ in Southport, Bootle and Liverpool that they are putting on hold their merger plans for the time being.

Councillor Tony Dawson, who is Southport’s senior representative on the Council’s Health Overview Committee said:

“When the Officers of the local Care Commissioning Groups (CCGs) came to us in April with plans for a merger, we gave them a pretty tough time. There were not sufficient details of the proposed savings and the loss of a local ‘focus’ especially for Southport’s hospital services was of concern.

“The issue was whether this was just part of a wider plan to submerge local people in a ‘Greater Liverpool’ which puts Liverpool people’s services first.”

The three CCGs have now agreed to delay their merger plans for which the government’s original deadline was next month (July) They will, though, continue to increase co-operation and joint working in a number of fields.

Councillor Dawson warns local people though that this is only one of a number of moves being pushed by government which present a serious threat to the town’s local NHS. particularly hospital services.

“St Helens hospital has just been given an extra £660,000 to help with its Accident & Emergency delay problems in preparation for next year’s ‘Winter Pressures’. But St Helens has had nothing like the problems which Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals have had.  There appears to be a hidden agenda of favoritism here which allows hospitals like Southport’s to continue to suffer massive financial problems while others get give bale-outs.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-ae-funding-to-help-hospitals-prepare-for-winter

“Meanwhile, in the background, bureaucrats are busy breaking down the NHS into blocks which they think are expendible. Southport Hospital, being ‘out on a limb’ geographically as well as being in serious financial trouble, is particularly vulnerable.”