HEALTHCARE campaigners are demanding details of plans to save £267million.
Some 1,400 people have signed a petition calling for transparency about the Coventry and Warwickshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) – now referred to as Better Health, Better Care, Better Value – which aims to see £267million saved over the next five years.
But members of South Warwickshire Keep Our NHS Public (SWKONP) say while a ‘basic’ plan was released in 2016, little is known about how they will be implemented.
The petition has been handed in to Coun Kamran Caan and Coun Les Caborn – the respective chairs of wellbeing boards on Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council.
SWKONP chair Anna Pollert said: “The public is still being kept in the dark and wants no more vague jargon and secrecy by the STP planners. The petition says it all – we call on our elected representatives involved in the STP to respond to our petition handed to them requesting the lead Andy Hardy – who is also the chief executive of University Hospital Coventry – to publish full details of the financial, workforce and site plans.
“We want full transparency about plans for local health and social care services, including how the planned ‘savings’ will be implemented.”
The healthcare plans look to deliver more care in the community and cut some hospital services.
So far it is known changes will be made to stroke services across south Warwickshire, and preventative measures taken to try and reduce the number of people who have to stay in hospital.
But a spokesman for the STP says changes were already underway.
He said: “The priority for the partnership is to help local people to live well, stay independent and enjoy life. Some highlights of the programme so far include the out of hospital programme in Coventry and Warwickshire, the introduction of continuity of carer for new mums in South Warwickshire and being awarded £350,000 funding for suicide prevention.
“We have involved patients and the public in a wide variety of work so far and will continue to do so, as working in close partnership with patients, the public and staff is critical to building a patient-centred, forward-thinking and sustainable health and care system across Coventry and Warwickshire.”
