At Wednesday’s full council meeting (catch up here) Independent Labour councillor for Newport East, Cllr Geoff Brodie, pointed out there had still been no public consultation on the implications Isle of Wight Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP).
He asked the Leader of the Isle of Wight council why the STP was bring driven forward by the Conservative administration.
The councillor was promised a written reply, which can be found below.
Brodie: Where’s the consultation?
Cllr Brodie’s question was:
“The IW Council leadership endorsed at Cabinet on 8 November the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP); something that has had no public consultation as to its implications whatsoever despite promises there would be in the autumn on 2016.
“It also had the support of something called the Local Care Board – an entirely non-transparent and unaccountable body, with no meetings in public or published minutes that I can find.
“Can the Leader of this Council explain to Full Council and the public at large why the STP is being driven forward by his administration and their local health partners without bothering to reassure Islanders that their precious NHS will not be further damaged?”
Leader: NHS will be consulting
The written response Leader of the Isle of Wight council, Cllr Dave Stewart, reads:
“The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (HIOWSTP) is not being driven by this council. STPs are a national initiative, promoted by National Health Service England (NHSE) and developed as part of its five year forward view for improving the sustainability of the health service, free at the point of delivery.
“The Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the Isle of Wight NHS Trust and the council have contributed to the work of the HIOWSTP. The council in its role as representing the Island’s community in general, whilst the health bodies are mandated to attend to represent the clinical and health needs of the Island.
“The recent HIOW STP proposals, endorsed by the Cabinet and also the Health and Wellbeing Board, were generally about the organisational arrangements for the governance and management of the HIOWSTP as the basis for increasing health and care integration across the area including the Isle of Wight. They were not about changes to service levels. The proposals were consistent with the council’s corporate drive to create One Public Service across the Island.
“Any changes to health services will be consulted on by the NHS which I understand gave the commitment, referred to in the question, in 2016.”
