Last night, the last item on the agenda of the above scrutiny committee was an update from Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). We had been provided with a report – Improving Health and Wellbeing for Walsall – which began with a page entitled ‘What has gone well during 2017/18’. I put it to the CCG representative that there was a page missing, namely ‘What has not gone well during 2017/18’. I stated that what we as a scrutiny committee require is honest analysis, not P.R. which I felt this report was.

As an example of what has not gone well, I put it to the CCG representative that the closure of the step-down service at Holly Bank House could have been handled better.

I pointed out that we as a scrutiny committee had not been informed of the likelihood of this closure, despite previous assurances that we would be consulted if any service changes were proposed. I acknowledged that the service provided at Holly Bank was in many ways a ‘rolls royce’ service, beloved of those who used it, but that as many of the people who benefitted from it were in the last few years of their life, they deserved such a service. I also expressed my concern that the care provided would not be replicated elsewhere.

In reply, the CCG rep. said he thought the closure had been handled well as he considered the decision had been made to make better use of the money. The Chair of the committee interjected that he understood care would be maintained despite the closure of this service, and that it had been felt that the beds would only be maintained there if a service for stroke patients had been placed there. The CCG rep. said he considered Ward 1 at the Manor was the best place for this particular service.

As a way forward, it was agreed to produce a lessons learnt document.

Editors note: Although at this meeting I was putting some uncomfortable truths to the CCG rep, I fully understand that the CCG has a limited budget to work with, and consider that therefore the true reason for the closure of this service is the failure of this Conservative Government to fully fund the NHS.

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