Health Services (Gloucestershire)

I agree entirely, and I am sure that the hon. Gentleman agrees with 13 of his fellow governors of the NHS trust, who wrote to the Secretary of State on 11 April:"““Over recent times, Governors, Members and local people have worked tirelessly in order to maintain overnight Children’s Services at Cheltenham General Hospital. This and the wider services are now under threat, as are many others, including our Community Hospitals. All this makes the national requirement that significant NHS service changes need to be the subject of full public consultation to an absolute farce.””" I am afraid that the reply that we received from the Secretary of State was not satisfactory. On the subject of consultation, she wrote to me:"““I am therefore advised that the decision not to proceed with a proposal does not require consultation as it does not constitute a service change because the service does not exist.””" I am sorry to say that that is breathtakingly out of touch with reality. There are many other savings proposals on the list that I would like to discuss, but time is limited. However, the closure of the Delancey hospital has raised fears about the hasty cutting of rehabilitative beds and care. The local branch of the National Council Women wrote to me:"““We know that much of the responsibility for such care will fall on family members, usually women, and doubt that this will be satisfactory. Even care homes, where professional care is available, often have to send their residents to Delancey for specialized care. Relatives, no matter how well-meaning, will not be able to cope.””" Accident and emergency services and patient support services are under threat. The prescription of drugs following new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is one of the savings proposals, so it will be deferred. I am sure that the Minister would like to claim credit for Herceptin when it is introduced in the rest of the country, but it may not be available in Gloucestershire. There will be cuts to patient transport and access to acute care—the list goes on and on. We look forward to the consultation, but the result of the Battledown consultation does not give us great cause for hope. I beg Ministers to reconsider the situation in Gloucestershire, as the proposals will have an impact on one of the most successful parts of the NHS, which should be a model for other services. They must rethink the need to clear those deficits in a single year, if such a ruling has been imposed, and the damage to successful parts of the NHS, whoever is to blame for the original deficits.