Select Committee on Health Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT (PCT 26)

  I am Chair of Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT and have been asked by my non-executive colleagues to prepare evidence for this inquiry

LIKELY IMPACT ON COMMISSIONING OF SERVICES

  There is a significant risk that the emphasis on Health Improvement and Public Health will be reduced. Our Trust has introduced approximately 800 service changes in the past four years. The PEC (clinicians) has enthusiastically engaged in introducing new and improved services to treat patients locally. However they have not been the force behind changes to improve health and prevent illness. The latter have been achieved as a result of strong local partnerships with patient groups, business, the voluntary sector, local government, the executive and non-executive directors. Resources may well be directed away from what is after all the traditional role of GPs—the treatment of sick patients. The danger is that we will concentrate on Illth rather than Wellth (apologies to Wm Morris).

LIKELY IMPACT ON PROVISION OF SERVICES

  This is potentially the most damaging area. At present deprived areas such as Hastings—Yarmouth—Tendring receive significant support which they did not receive when they were part of larger health authorities covering predominantly wealthy counties. Under the new proposals every one of these Trust areas will join other richer areas which have large debts. The new Trusts will have to take resources from the most deprived in order to balance financially. Patient choice will most probably be exercised most effectively by those wealthier areas of the new Trusts and less so by the patients of deprived and socially isolated communities. There will therefore be a real risk that inequalities will increase.

CONSULTATION ABOUT PROPOSED CHANGES

  This has been dreadful. Conflicting advice has left my staff bewildered and demoralised. The public do not understand how the process of setting up new bodies can begin before the consultation process is complete. The process is creating deep cynicism following as it does after a campaign to promote "patient choice" which coincided with the decision not to require GPs to work in the evenings and weekends which was taken with no public consultation and clearly would not have been agreed by the patients.

LIKELY COSTS AND SAVINGS

  My personal experience of working in large organisations has been that increasing size does not reduce costs. The whole process of revolutionary change is destructive as it breaks up effective networks and creates uncertainty. Evolutionary change has worked well in the past four years and the huge gains made under the present system should be recognised.

Tony Plumridge, Chair

Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT

7 November 2005





 
previous page contents next page

House of Commons home page Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries index

© Parliamentary copyright 2006
Prepared 11 January 2006