It’s the biggest shake-up of our local NHS in a generation.

And naturally, it’s an immense, detailed plan that needs careful explaining.

So did people understand how the complex proposal would work in practice?

Not exactly.

A large proportion did themselves no favours by failing to read the full ‘brochure’; just 44% claimed to have read the whole document before filling out the questionnaire.

Almost 9% of respondents said they hadn't read any of the consultation documents

Nevertheless many people struggled to get their heads around the plan. And some were positively flummoxed by it.

The official report notes that respondents felt that the plan as presented was short on crucial details and poorly explained.

Regardless of whether survey respondents fully understood the details of the proposal, the report found that many thought the proposal was a ‘done deal’.

The report said: “There is criticism and suspicion of only consulting on a single option. This led to respondents using terms like ‘done deal’.

It added: “The language and clarity of the proposals within the consultation documents and the structure of the survey was criticised.”

Sex of respondents

RCRTRP independent report of findings

And respondents were not happy to be presented with a single plan for the next few decades of healthcare.

A Huddersfield man, 59, wrote in his questionnaire: “There are numerous alternatives, but as has been stated, your present consultation is so lacking in the necessary information. The first step is to go back and gather information which is sufficiently detailed, reliable and valid.”

A 66-year-old Huddersfield woman wrote: “The failure to have a plan B is appalling.”

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