Macmillan cancer centre faces 70% staffing cut in Southport

Councillors are asking the Southport and Formby Primary Care Network to hold back on cuts to Southport and Formby Cancer Support Centre run by Macmillan. The cuts would see the centre reduced to a shell with 4 staff posts going (a 70 % cut). Patients and former patients have expressed concern and alarm at the dramatic reduction in cancer support services. Many have lobbied their elected representatives.

John Pugh who leads the 17 strong Liberal Democrat group on Sefton Council has written to the Primary Care Network asking them not to implement any decision until the situation can be reviewed by the Sefton Adult Care and Health Scrutiny Committee.  He says- 

“ In the recent past, it would be normal to have such a significant change in service configuration be looked at by the Health Scrutiny Committee, but now with NHS re-organisation no-one is sure who is accountable to whom. It looks like this major decision can be made by a small group go GPs without a public meeting or minutes and significant sums of money can be re-allocated with very limited explanation. 

Councillors have been given no role in NHS decision making, but they did have a role in questioning decisions made. Most of these decisions used to be made by a local publicly accountable NHS commissioning body that appeared regularly the Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee to explain what is going on. That has all disappeared and with it the need for the local NHS to give transparent explanations .

Accountability has disappeared and this decision on the local Cancer Network is exposing an accountability vacuum. NHS decisions are still being made but it’s all below the radar.  

The Council probably have no power to compel the doctors’ Primary Care Network to appear and explain what is going on , to justify any decisions made but it would certainly be good practice and we must be hopeful of a positive response.”