Council to hear motion on controversial cancellation of hospital shuttle bus
Blackburn with Darwen Council is set to join the row over the controversial cancellation of the East Lancashire hospitals’ shuttle bus. A cross-party motion to be debated by the authority’s full Council Forum meeting on Thursday next week proposed by its Labour leader Cllr Phil Riley expresses disappointment at how the decision was made and the lack of consultation before it was taken.
The motion, seconded by Tory group boss Cllr John Slater, also calls for more research into the impact the withdrawal of the free service between the Royal Blackburn, Burnley General and Pendle Community Hospitals will have on patients. Already the decision by the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) has caused a major row generating protest petitions with Burnley Council due to debate the issue on Wednesday night.
Its leader Cllr Afrasiab Anwar has condemned the termination of the £780,000 a year shuttle bus from April 1 after ELHT said it could no longer afford it amid a need to save £26million.
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The Blackburn with Darwen Council motion says:”We are extremely disappointed that ELHT did not consult with the council, or any other neighbouring councils, before announcing the cessation of the hospital shuttle bus between Burnley and Blackburn hospitals. It shows a disrespect for alleged stakeholders and has contributed to the inevitable negative reaction.
“We fully appreciate the financial challenges facing ELHT and the overall NHS and understand the need for savings to be made but any savings proposals like these need to be managed sensitively and take account of the potential impact on the users. We understand that the cost of the hospital shuttle bus has been an issue for ELHT for a number of years but we believe that it would have been very helpful if the trust had commissioned an independent survey to ascertain the precise numbers of staff and patients using the service.
“Although it should have happened much earlier, it is still not too late for ELHT to commission such a survey with the purpose of informing the general public and enabling the hospital management to plan sensible mitigating actions that ensure no users, particularly patients, suffer as a result of the withdrawal of the service. As ELHT continues to grapple with the financial challenges, we expect there are likely to be other changes in the pipeline.
“This council believes that ELHT needs to learn the lessons and recognise the positive contribution that local authorities can make to manage change in the health sector and improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.”
Cllr Riley said: “The shuttle bus was a temporary measure brought in in 2007 when the Burnley General Hospital accident and emergency unit closed. We understand the health trust’s need to review its spending but we want to make sure no patients are disadvantaged.
“We do feel more consultation was needed before taking this decision.”
Cllr Slater said: “We think the decision to cancel the shuttle bus was ill-conceived. It was done in a rush, on the quiet and without consulting any of the stakeholders.
“We feel this was a mistake.”
Cllr Mustafa Desai. leader of the main opposition 4 BwD group, said: “It is accepted that ELHT has got significant financial challenges and therefore service cuts are inevitable. However transparency and consultation with partners and the patients is imperative to alleviate confusion and anxiety.
“No doubt some patients will be impacted by this decision and alternate provision of support for those would provide some reassurance”