Campaigners fighting to save Huddersfield’s A&E have issued ‘model answers’ for residents to use when completing official questionnaires on a controversial hospital shake-up plan.
And #HandsOffHRI is advising Huddersfield and Calderdale residents to answer almost all the questions on the Right Care Right Time Right Place questionnaire with the same answer.
Campaigners say the questionnaire, issued by local NHS bosses, misleads residents into accepting the closure of Huddersfield’s A&E and the centralisation of emergency care in Halifax.
An advice sheet, issued by #HandsOffHRI, recommends opponents of the plan answer the majority of questions by ticking the ‘other’ response box and writing: ‘I do not agree with this proposal or the hot site/cold site clinical model’.
It also advises NOT answering question one (‘Did we miss anything when looking at all the alternatives?’) because ‘it suggests that all possibilities have been explored’.
The document, which can be downloaded from handsoffhri.org/info-and-links/consultation, also advises using space on the questionnaire form to criticise health bosses’ business case for the plan.
It advises respondents write words to the effect of: “Your business case is flawed. A representative from Monitor stated that the result of this re-configuration was not sustainable.”
The advice sheet recommends residents cite studies, which show that death rates increase with ambulance journey time, and other research undermining the plan.
It also advises writing something like: “I fear that the most vulnerable will be the worst affected by this proposal. I believe the local NHS provisions will be adversely affected resulting in worse patient outcomes for Kirklees and Calderdale.
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“If this proposal is accepted, the population of Kirklees... will be without A&E provision.
“Our health needs are for evidence based comprehensive, universal, and equitable, value-for- money health care. These proposals offer none of these things.
“I have no confidence that they will deliver safe, high quality patient care, or safe, fair working conditions for NHS and social care staff.
“I fear that lives will be lost as a direct result of this proposal.”
A&E closure plan
However, #HandsOffHRI is urging Huddersfield and Calderdale residents to complete the surveys.
A public consultation on the plan ends on June 21. Another big public meeting takes place at the John Smith’s Stadium on June 6.
Natalie Ratcliffe, #HandsOffHRI secretary, emphasised the importance of completing the surveys – and the dangerous consequences of not doing it.
Ms Ratcliffe said: “Everyone needs to fill in the survey to show the CCG that they are fully engaged in the process. Even if you agree with them fill it in.
“Our campaign wants to show the CCG that the public are fully engaged. We want to show them how we feel.
“If only a few hundred surveys are returned they could argue that we are not interested.”
