FURY AT NHS PROPOSALS IN LETTER TO TOP

The GPs say they were not consulted before publication of the proposals and not one of them supports them.

They and elected representatives serving the population using Steyning Health Centre have publicly raised concerns surrounding the Fit for the Future consulation currently being led by the West Sussex Primary Care Trust.

They have sent a letter signed by them all to John Wilderspoon, chief executive of West Sussex PCT, and Candy Morris, chief executive of South-East Coast Strategic Health Authority.

The letter said: "We write as general practitioners and elected representatives serving the population of roughly 13,000 who use Steyning Health Centre to raise our concerns surrounding the 'Fit for the Future' consultation currently being led by the West Sussex PCT.

"If either option B or C of 'Fit for the Future' is put into effect, reducing services currently provided by Worthing and Southlands Hospitals, we will be gravely concerned for the following reasons:

The NHS does not have a reputation for adequately funding changes or keeping promises

Numerous NHS initiatives over recent years have been shown to be poorly planned, underfunded and lacking in adequate implementation. These, however, have all involved changes in NHS structure or initiatives addressing staff or clinicians

'Fit for the Future' will be the first NHS initiative for some time to affect the public and patients directly. Failure to meet commitments made by the PCT in the 'Fit for the Future' documents will result in widespread distress for the taxpaying public, as well as degraded care and potential deaths due to inadequate services, excessive travel times, etc.

For full story see West Sussex Gazette October 10