healthcoalition+-+minutes+-+June+21st+2010

Sue Secher. Apologies: Frank Jacobs, Dave Morris >> ** Agenda Items. ** 1 ** . Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition ** Jan Pollock reported on developments within the Coalition and its continued focus on raising public awareness of issues about the provision of health care in Islington. It was agreed that DHHSC needs to maintain links with DWHC and that we should avoid clashing with their meeting dates, and should initiate an exchange of minutes. 2 ** . Government Spending on Health: Green Paper, Budget cuts etc., ** There was a wide ranging discussion and sharing of information on: the need to know how the consultation process on the Green Paper would be conducted; the difficulty of obtaining information on the specific proposals likely to be included in the White Paper due in July; concerns about the future role of the GP in the commissioning process; the effects of a freeze on new building projects; how strategic planning of NHS provision would be conducted at a national and local level with the increase in privatisation of services and the abolition of Strategic Planning Authorities. Out of this discussion several proposals were made. There should be a sharing of information as soon as possible; a critique of the proposed changes in NHS funding and provision should be disseminated to the public early in the autumn, possibly at a public meeting with invited speakers including, for example, the former Independent MP for Kidderminster Dr Richard Taylor, who had first hand experience of a campaign to stop the closure of a hospital, and had chaired the Parliamentary Health Select Committee; a survey should be undertaken of the views of local GPs about the new initiatives in commissioning and opportunities of forming commissioning consortia; monitoring the Coalition’s use of the previous Select Committee’s critical report on privatisation in the NHS. Janet Shapiro gave information on the planned cuts, proposed by the North Central London NHS, in 25 hospital treatments, which are deemed “low priority” procedures-e.g. dental treatments, hysterectomies, tonsillectomies. It was agreed that there was an urgent need to ask why there had been no consultation before announcing these measures, how this list of treatments was selected and if the consequences of these cuts had been explored fully. Representatives from DHHSC need to attend the following meetings to voice our concerns: >> The protest outside Whittington Hospital on Budget Day – June 22nd >> Haringey’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee on July 5th >> The North Central London Board on 7th or 8th July; >> It was noted that questions may need to be submitted in advance of the meetings Monday 26th July at 7.30pm at the Hornsey Central Neighbourhood Centre.
 * Defend Haringey’s Health Services Coalition **
 * Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 21st June 2010 at Hornsey Central Neighbourhood Centre **
 * Present: ** Linda Lennard, Chair, Janet Shapiro (BLHCC), Anne Gray, Chris Havell, Jan Pollock,
 * Minutes of the last meeting ** : The minutes of the meeting held on 17th May were accepted.
 * Matters Arising: **
 * 1) JS to repeat request to Dr Kim Holt for an article to be published on DHHSC website.
 * 2) Haringey Federation of Residents’ Association meeting on May 27th – no feedback from the meeting yet.
 * 3) Steve Ballard had not yet submitted claim for funds to improve DHHSC website.
 * // Action: JS to send copy of DHHSC minutes to secretary of DWHC. //**
 * // Action: Sue Secher to circulate Guardian article on Chris Ham’s ( Chief Executive of the King’s Fund ) analysis of the dangers posed by competition in the NHS. //**
 * // Janet Shapiro to circulate information available on the BMA website. //**
 * // Janet Shapiro to contact Karen Jennings for information. //**
 * // Linda Lennard to investigate the composition and remit of new Health Select Committee. //**
 * 1) ** Low priority treatment cuts **
 * 4. AOB **
 * 1) Representatives from DHHSC should attend Haringey Health Board meeting on 28th July to ask what steps have been taken to re-instate Dr Kim Holt.
 * 2) It would be useful to have feedback from DWHC on the consultation of GPs that was conducted during the recent campaign to save services at the hospital.
 * 5. Date and time of next meeting. **
 * // Action: Linda Lennard to book room //**