Hands off Hinchingbrooke Campaign Group had been encouraged that council’s up and down the country have rejected Sustainability Transformation Plans. These include Oxford, Devon, Liverpool, Hampshire – Isle of Wight and others. Various reasons have been given but the common theme is that the plans are unworkable, savings target are unachievable, lack of transparency or public consultation.
Birmingham GP leader Dr Robert Morley has dismissed their local STP as ” simply undeliverable”. Dr Mark Spencer of the New NHS Alliance has said many STP’s are ” a mile wide and an inch deep” with much of the content in a smokescreen and wishful thinking.
We strongly urge Cambridgeshire County Council not to accept the STP for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough without sight of the full appendices detailing the Estates footprint and the Financial footprint of where savings are to be made.
Why have the Estates and Financial details of these plans not been released to public scrutiny? What is being hidden, and why has their been no public consultation on the content of the STP? Surely the people of Cambridgeshire have a right to know where, when and how savings are to made and what the impact will be for them and their families.
Make no mistake about it – STP’s are about cuts in services, balancing the books and bridging the £22billion affordability gap by 2020.
Many service contracts have already been outsourced to Private – for Profit organisation with such companies as Virgin Care being awarded multi million £ contracts to deliver services in the North West.
Many of these plans will lead to loss of beds, loss of wards, loss of services, especially A&E and Maternity Units, and in some cases the wholesale closure of Hospitals.
Can this happen to Hinchingbrooke Hospital? Will this impact on you? No says the CEO’s of Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough.
Yes it can says Hands off Hinchingbrooke
Who do you believe? – well when the STP comes into force from April 2017 you will eventually find out – CAN’T WAIT – join our group