Campaign groups fighting radical health shake-up plans have dubbed the public information sessions as “a sham”.

Huddersfield and Calderdale health chiefs are proposing a restructure of services that could see one accident and emergency department close.

Current preferred proposals are to downgrade either Halifax or Huddersfield’s A & E, amid demands to save £50m per year.

Health chiefs have also said an option to downgrade both units is possible as emergency care moves to a new structure with larger regional centres.

The wide ranging transformation proposals, called Right Care, Right Time, Right Place (RCRTRP), hinge around moving more care into the community in a bid to reduce the number of beds in hospitals.

Officials behind the proposals began public drop-in sessions last week to scope out residents’ opinions.

But campaign groups have slammed the sessions as “wholly inadequate” and questioned why there are so few.

A total of ten drop-ins are being held, six in Huddersfield and four in Calderdale.

All sessions run from 2pm to 7pm and visitors are asked to fill in a survey giving their thoughts on health chiefs’ plans.

Gary Scott, chairman of Band Together For Our NHS, said: “Most people haven’t even heard there’s a consultation or drop in sessions.

“When we, the campaigners, tell them, they are angry because it’s our NHS and everyone must have their say.

“The NHS Constitution and NHS rules both say that the public has a legal right to take part in decisions about re-configuring services.

“If people don’t know about the drop ins, how can they exercise that right?”

Paul Cooney, chairman of Huddersfield Keep Our NHS Public, said “sham” was an apt label to describe the events.

Paul Cooney
Paul Cooney

And Mr Cooney said he suspected the sessions were constructed in such a way as to minimize the opportunities for the people to share their views. He said: “They are way too few in number when you consider the populations covered by the proposals.

“Weekday sessions which only go onto 7pm hardly allows for a full representation of the views of the community.

“How does anyone who works full-time have a chance to attend the events?”

A third NHS campaigner, Terry Hallworth, also contacted The Examiner with complaints about the sessions.

Mr Hallworth, who has been fighting the not-for-profit independent care firm Locala, which runs much of Kirklees community health services, said he had found complete ignorance of the sessions, even within local health workers.

He said: “I have canvassed the GP surgery managers in my area and not a single one had heard of the drop ins.

“There were no leaflets or notices anywhere. This whole consultation process is a sham.

“ I visited the surgery of Dr Steve Ollerton, chairman of Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group, and not one member of staff at the surgery new anything about RCRTRP.

“There were no leaflets or posters with details of the proposed changes or times and venues for the drop ins.

“It’s interesting that the Chairman of the GHCCG can’t even be bothered.”

A spokesman for RCRTRP denied there was a lack of publicity over the public meetings.

He said: “There are ten drop-in sessions scheduled across Calderdale and Huddersfield.

“These have been advertised, and will continue to do so across the local papers.

“The drop in sessions are also clearly identified on our website and communicated through Twitter for the individual sessions.

“Posters and flyers have also been distributed to local public areas and health premises across Calderdale and Huddersfield.

“The drop-in sessions form part of the engagement process where we listen to the public’s views and gather information.

“Staff are on hand to help and provide people with the information they need to enable them to feed through their views.

“Posters and leaflets advertising the drop in sessions have been circulated to local public areas such as libraries and supermarkets.

“Further activity this week will see a reminder message to health premises to encourage them to display the leaflets and posters.”

Chief Officer at Greater Huddersfield CCG, Carol McKenna, said: “These events are aimed at giving people the opportunity to share their views on how they think the NHS in the area should look in the future.

Carol McKenna, chief officer of the CCG
Carol McKenna, chief officer of the CCG

“We understand there is concern about the possibility of change however this needs to be balanced with what will happen if nothing changes.

“The Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for making decisions on these issues, will only make ones which result in improvements in care for our population.

“We want to be sure the ideas for change reflect the public’s views and we are keen to hear how services should be shaped.

“We only take decisions about significant service changes following the appropriate engagement activities and a public consultation.”

Remaining sessions are at Brighouse Civic Hall on June 4, The Hub, Kirkburton on June 5, Hansen Lane Enterprise Centre in Halifax on June 9, New Beginnings in Halifax on June 10, Holmfirth Civic Hall on June 11 and Todmorden Health Centre on June 12. All run from 2pm to 7pm.

Web: www.rightcaretimeplace.co.uk

Rory Deighton, director of patients’ group, Healthwatch Kirklees, said: “The hospital trust and its partners need to carry on working over the next few months to explain to patients what the case for change is.

“I think it’s a shame that it’s been so long from the initial announcement as the gap in engagement has created a vacuum in information which has been filled by all sorts of misinformation.

“One of the biggest lessons we are learning is that as patients we don’t understand how hospitals operate – and without this information – how can we understand what is changing?

“This transformation is manifestly not about A & E services. Unplanned and emergency care will still be delivered at the side of the road by paramedics, in hospitals in Leeds, and by hospitals in Huddersfield and Halifax.

Health Watch Kirklees Director Rory Deighton
Health Watch Kirklees Director Rory Deighton

“This is about a much bigger change in the way that patients are treated out of hospitals, and supported to live at home in their own communities. “Hospital Trusts and the CCGs need to get better at explaining what’s happening now and to explain how and why it needs to change.

“If you sit in a room with a GP like Dr Ollerton, over the course of an hour or so you start to understand the pressures our NHS is under, and the need for change.

We need to work hard as patients to understand what is changing and the trust, CCG and its partners needs to work harder through its engagement process to explain what they are doing and to take patients with them.”

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