Agenda item

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Councillor Beales proposed the recommendations contained within the report and advised Members that it was important that the matter be considered by Full Council, given the significance of the Hospital to the local community. He stated that it was vital for both the Council and residents to understand the Council's formal position on the future of the Hospital and to provide reassurance regarding the actions being taken by the Council. He considered it appropriate that Full Council had the opportunity to debate the matter.

Councillor Beales explained that the intention was also to assist the QEH and Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee by setting out the formal view of the Council.

He outlined the recommendations contained within the report for Council's consideration, including the proposal to arrange a Joint Panel Meeting following a briefing from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The recommendations recognised that some highly specialised services could be provided on a regional basis; however, this should not be used as justification for the removal of essential local services from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, particularly given the rural nature of the area.

Councillor Rust, in seconding the report, expressed her support for the recommendations. She referred to previous campaigns that had been undertaken and the recent Hospital Annual General Meeting.  She referred to maternity services and noted that fertility rates had declined nationally. Councillor Rust also referred to elective procedures which could be delivered regionally but emphasised the need to maintain appropriate local provision, particularly for emergency services.

Councillor Rust highlighted the current Healthwatch survey and encouraged residents and Councillors to respond, whilst noting that some of the questions were restrictive. She further encouraged individuals to contact the Hospital directly if they were unable to fully express their views through the survey.

Councillor Rust also referred to planned housing growth and the increasing population, highlighting the need to ensure that local healthcare services were maintained and developed accordingly.

Councillor Sayers provided details of an occasion when his partner had required urgent healthcare support during pregnancy and had been able to access assistance quickly through the ambulance service. He stated that the situation would have been very different if local assistance was unavailable.  Councillor Sayers expressed concern that the loss of local ambulance provision could have serious consequences in similar situations and stated that lives could be placed at risk.

Councillor Colwell welcomed the report and its recommendations. He stressed the importance of providing residents with a clear statement of the Council's position. He referred to the community petition, which had attracted more than 10,000 signatures, and encouraged those who had not yet signed to do so. He emphasised the need to reassure residents that vital hospital services would remain locally.

Councillor Colwell also informed Council of a public event ‘Human A&E Queue’ demonstration due to take place on the Tuesday Market Place on 17 October at 11.30am.

Councillor Osborne expressed his support for the proposals and commended the recommendations set out within the report.

Councillor Kemp stated that local services should not be removed given the distances involved in travelling to alternative hospitals and rural nature of the area. Whilst acknowledging the important role of Health Hubs, she emphasised that core hospital services should continue to be provided locally.

Councillor Fry outlined the range of services currently provided locally and gave an example of the Accident and Emergency process, explaining how it could be adversely affected if patients were required to travel further for emergency treatment. She also highlighted the importance of patient flow in supporting patient health and wellbeing and referred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit provision. Councillor Fry expressed her support for the recommendations contained within the report.

Councillor Long spoke in support of the report and stated that people's health and lives should not be placed at risk. He highlighted the potential impact on ambulance services if greater travel distances were required, together with the implications for hospital patient transport services.

Councillor Ryves, in supporting the recommendations, suggested that the Council should consider allocating funding to gather evidence and data to support the case for retaining local hospital services.  The Mayor referred Councillor Ryves to the recommendations contained within the report and advised that this matter could be considered further by the Joint Panel when it examined the issues in greater detail.

Councillor Ring addressed Council and stated that the prospect of not having a fully functioning local hospital was a matter of significant concern. He referred to services that had already been lost or were no longer available in King's Lynn, including certain mental health provisions. Councillor Ring stated that residents were concerned about the potential loss of further vital services. He emphasised that the issue was not a political matter but one that was of collective importance to the people of West Norfolk and the surrounding area who relied upon the services provided by the Hospital.

Councillor Jones stated that the Hospital had saved his life, as well as the lives of many other residents.

Councillor Parish commented on his own experience of using emergency services at the Hospital and stressed the importance of retaining services locally. He noted that ambulances would be unavailable for longer periods if required to travel greater distances.

Councillor Storey commented that the Hospital was the most important building in the Borough and that residents' health and wellbeing were of paramount importance. He expressed his full support for the recommendations and thanked the Leader for bringing the matter before Council.

Councillor Devulapalli reminded Members that she served on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Board of Governors and encouraged Councillors to pass any comments to her for onward submission to the Board. She also urged Members to complete the Healthwatch survey and agreed to circulate details of the survey to all Councillors.

Councillor Collingham expressed the view that West Norfolk was being overlooked and referred to concerns relating to both hospital and railway services. She supported Councillor Ryves' suggestion that funding should be made available to gather evidence and data to strengthen the case for retaining local services.

The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Spikings, reminded Council that any loss of services would also result in the loss of skilled doctors, nurses and other key support staff. She emphasised the importance of ensuring that appropriate services were available locally and highlighted the levels of deprivation experienced in the area.

Councillor Ratcliffe supported the comments made throughout the debate. In response to comments regarding rail services, she informed Council that she had met with the MP for South West Norfolk to discuss the matter. Councillor Ratcliffe also commented on challenges facing West Norfolk in relation to transport links, broadband provision and healthcare services, and urged Members to support the recommendations contained within the report.

Councillor Beales, in summing up, thanked Members for their contributions and the constructive manner in which the debate had been conducted. Referring to the suggestion that additional funding be made available to gather evidence, he stated that whilst he did not want to pre-empt scrutiny by the Joint Panel, he reassured Members that funds would be allocated if needed and would be reported to Council.

On being put to the vote the recommendations contained within the report were approved unanimously.

RESOLVED: That Council:

1. Support the retention at QEH of 24/7 A&E, acute medicine, emergency general surgery, critical care, anaesthesia and emergency theatres, consultant led maternity and obstetrics, paediatrics and appropriate neonatal care, trauma and orthopaedics, core acute medical specialties, stroke assessment and inpatient care, and comprehensive diagnostic services.

2. Recognise that highly specialised services may appropriately be provided at regional or tertiary centres where there is a clear clinical case.

3. Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group seeking assurance that the new hospital and any future clinical strategy will maintain the complete package of services necessary for QEH to continue functioning as a full District General Hospital serving West Norfolk and its wider catchment.

4. That Council notes the significance of this matter and its relevance to the Council’s scrutiny function, and requests the Chairs of the relevant Panels to convene a Joint Panel meeting to consider the future provision of services at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

5. The Joint Panel should be informed by the Councillors’ Briefing Session arranged with the Hospital, with Members encouraged to identify and raise key questions and lines of enquiry during that briefing to support the Panel’s subsequent consideration of the issues.

6. That representatives of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital be invited to attend the Joint Panel meeting to provide information, respond to Members’ questions, and assist the Council in understanding the implications of future service delivery and hospital development plans for West Norfolk and its wider catchment area.