News item 24th October 2008

Stakeholder group stalls

Despite our best intentions NHSiL has now withdrawn from participation in the discussions on the future of St. John’s Hospital. The situation is even more disappointing when you think that this group was set up under the auspices of the Cabinet Secretary. Perhaps we should be asking what she thinks of the current impasse?

The Council has been criticised by the Chair of NHSiL for wasting council taxpayers money by engaging an independent consultant to examine the best way forward for our hospital. As can be seen elsewhere on this website, they have no grounds for such an accusation, and they certainly do not hold the moral high ground on this issue.

What is particularly surprising is the volte face of the Chair of NHSiL on this issue. It is clearly minuted that he suggested that in the absence of a consensus on this matter, one option would be for the Council to progress the commissioning of any third-party examination of alternative visions for the future of St John’s Hospital out with the Group, and feed back information from this process through the Councillors who were members. We have exercised that option, and now they want to re-write history.

The public have been contacting us since Monday’s meeting was cancelled, and the media are now carrying letters from disgruntled residents who turned up for the meeting only to be met with disappointment and a wall of silence. This is not acceptable in our democracy, more so when we are accountable, and yet not the cause of the problem.

We would urge those who truly care about community engagement, consultation and representation to bring pressure on those who make decisions within the Executive structure of NHSiL. Unless, and until, they realise their place in the food chain, we will be stalled for quite some time.

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