AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING of the COUNCIL OF THE BOROUGH OF GOSPORT was held in the Council Chamber at the TOWN HALL, GOSPORT on THURSDAY the TWENTIETH day of JANUARY 2005 at 6.00 PM.
The Mayor (Councillor Edwards) (P) (in the Chair);
The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Burgess) (P);
Councillors Allen (P), Mrs Batterbury (P), Mrs Binfield (P), Bone (P), Carr (P), Carter (P), Mrs Champion (P), Chegwyn, Clinton (P), Mrs Cully (P), Cully (P), Davis (P), Dickson, Edgar (P), Farr (P), Foster (P), Gill (P), Hayward (P), Hook (P), Jacobs (P), Kimber (P), Langdon (P), Philpott (P), Redrup (P), Rigg (P), Mrs Salter, Searle (P), Smith (P), Taylor (P), Train (P), Mrs Wright (P) and Wright (P).
Also in attendance: Honorary Aldermen Mrs Bailey, Foster, Flory and O’Neill.
APOLOGIES
Apologies for inability to attend the meeting were submitted on behalf of Councillors Chegwyn, Dickson and Mrs Salter and Honorary Alderman Rushton.
In recording the above apologies, the Borough Solicitor informed the Council that Councillor Mrs Salter had indicated that she wished to declare a personal interest in item 5 on the Council agenda (Fareham and Gosport Primary Care Trust’s decision on the Consultation document “Future of our Health Services in Fareham and Gosport”) and had therefore decided not to attend tonight’s meeting.
STANDING ORDER 4.9.8
In order for a Deputation from Mrs Alison Roast of the Lee-on-the-Solent Residents Association to be presented to Council the Mayor moved Standing Order 4.9.8 in order to waive Standing Order 4.9 (Procedure for Deputations).
RESOLVED: That Standing Order 4.9 be waived to enable the Deputation from Mrs Roast to be presented to the meeting.
DEPUTATION
Mrs Alison Roast addressed the Council on behalf of the Lee-on-the-Solent Residents Association regarding the Future of Local Health Services in Fareham and Gosport. The salient points from her Deputation are detailed as follows:-
• The following are the Association’s principal reasons for opposing the decision of the Fareham and Gosport PCT not to use Haslar.
• It was apparent that the decision to go for Option 2 had already been made and our arguments were never really taken on board.
• The proposed arrangements concentrate too much on the over developed QA site. The whole scheme lacks robustness and would be unable to cope with for instance, projected population growth, or a major failure at QA.
• The road access to QA is already difficult and will become much worse.
• In spite of assurances by the PCT it is clear to us that under Option 2 we will be obliged to go off the peninsula for some treatment.
• Again, if we read the Ernst Young appraisal, it is clear that under Option 2, we will all become more dependent on QA.
• Are we to be expected to travel to either QA or St. Mary’s for Day Surgery with general anaesthetics?
• Moreover, my understanding is that physiotherapy services will be less than those currently available. It seems that patients requiring physiotherapy on backs, knees and hands are to be treated at QA, rather than going to GWMH or Haslar as at present.
• Continuing delays in the QA project and its increasing costs require a change of course by the PCT.
• Extending the GWMH and building a new Health Centre will be slow and costly.
• Haslar exists – and we own it. It should be possible to negotiate sensibly with the MOD on costs and facilities so that health care is properly maintained.
• We see Option 1 (using Haslar) as being potentially feasible and economic and recommend it as the way forward.
• We too urge Hampshire County Council’s Health and Scrutiny Committee to refer this decision to the Department of Health for the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.
STANDING ORDER 4.15.1
The Mayor reported that the Borough Solicitor had received a notice requesting that Standing Order 4.15.1 be moved to enable the Chief Executive to present his report on the Future of Local Health Services in Fareham and Gosport.
RESOLVED: That Standing Order 4.15.1 be moved to enable the Chief Executive to present his report on the Future of Local Health Services in Fareham and Gosport.
NOTE: Prior to the debate on the following item, Councillor Edgar declared a personal interest as a taxi proprietor and Councillors Searle and Wright declared personal interests as members of the County Council’s Health Review Committee.
THE FUTURE OF LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES IN FAREHAM AND GOSPORT
Members of the Council had before them a report of the Chief Executive ( a copy of which is attached hereto as Appendix “C1”) in connection with the above.
The report gave the background to the Council’s current position of supporting Proposal 1 under the Fareham and Gosport PCT’s consultation exercise on the Future of Local Health Services in Fareham and Gosport. The campaign had started in 1998 with the original announcement to close Haslar Hospital, this led to the protest on the part of 22,000 people and the formation of the Haslar Task Force. The Borough Council’s position had always focused on the excellence of the facilities and the levels of investment in the Haslar site and the need to retain appropriate facilities on the site to serve the community. The Council had recognised the need for an upgraded “District General Hospital” facility on the Queen Alexandra Hospital site, meeting the acute needs for the area, but had always advocated the use of the excellent facilities developed at Haslar as a shared MOD and NHS facility.
The report referred to the former Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority’s Consultation exercise in January 2000 in partnership with the Borough Council, which had regard to the strength of public feeling about facilities at Haslar. The report concluded with reference to the Fareham and Gosport PCT’s Consultation document in July 2004 and Appendix A to the report set out the two options which had been under consideration. The PCT on 15 December 2004 had supported Proposal 2 which focused health provision on the War Memorial Hospital site plus a range of other significant changes, with no further use of the Haslar site once proposals were fully implemented elsewhere. The report referred to the Council’s decision on 6 October 2004 to support Proposal 1 in the Consultation document.
Councillor Edgar, Save Haslar Task Force Spokesperson referred to the decisions of the Council in October and December 2004 to support the use of the facilities at the Royal Hospital Haslar. He referred to the Haslar Task Force Public Meeting at St Mary’s Church, Alverstoke the previous evening where over 700 residents had unanimously condemned the decision of the PCT which would involve the closure of Haslar Hospital and called upon the Hampshire County Council’s Scrutiny Committee to refer the issue to the Secretary of State for the review and recommendation of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.
Councillor Edgar had circulated each Councillor in the Council Chamber with a note of this meeting (a copy of which is attached hereto as Appendix “C2”). It was emphasised that the PCT’s Option Appraisal document was completely flawed on a number of significant grounds as advanced in the Chief Executive’s report and the notes of the public meeting.
Following Councillor Edgar’s presentation, Councillors fully debated the manner in which the PCT’s decision to support Proposal 2 had been made and the implications of such a decision for the people of Gosport.
In moving the following Motion the Council agreed that any delegation to the Secretary of State for Health should consist of the three Group Leaders and the Save Haslar Task Force Spokesperson.
MOTION:
(i) In view of the fact that the PCT had ignored overwhelming public opinion, this Council has no confidence in the PCT to deliver cost effective health services for the people of Gosport and Fareham and the local area;
(ii) Fully support the Haslar Task Force in their open public meeting, attended by in excess of 700 residents which unanimously condemned the decision of Fareham and Gosport PCT for not using Royal Hospital Haslar for health care of local residents;
(iii) Hampshire County Council’s Scrutiny Committee be asked to refer the decision taken by the PCT with regard to the Future of Local Health Services in Fareham and Gosport to the Secretary of State for Health for a review by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel;
(iv) A meeting be sought with Dr John Reid, Secretary of State for Health to discuss health provision in our local area; and
(v) A leaflet to be delivered to all households in Gosport asking the residents if they support the actions taken by this Council regarding the provision of health care for the peninsula.
In accordance with Standing Order 4.12.4, it was requisitioned that the voting on the Motion be recorded.
A recorded vote was thereupon taken on the Motion and the names of the Members voting for the Motion were read to the Council as follows –
FOR MOTION: The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillors Allen, Mrs Batterbury, Mrs Binfield, Bone, Carr, Carter, Mrs Champion, Clinton, Mrs Cully, Cully, Davis, Edgar, Farr, Foster, Gill, Hayward, Hook, Jacobs, Kimber, Langdon, Philpott, Redrup, Rigg, Searle, Smith, Taylor, Train, Wright and Mrs Wright (31)
The Motion was put to the meeting and declared CARRIED.
The Motion was accordingly put to the meeting and duly RESOLVED.
The Council rose at 7.15p.m.
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