An email from Dan Jarvis MP, Barnsley Central.
Over the last year, Sustainability and Transformation Plans have been drawn up in dozens of local authorities by a range of people involved in running the NHS and local government. This has come about because, following the Conservative Government’s disastrous reorganisation of the NHS in 2012, there was no obvious body responsible for planning the organisation of NHS services at a regional and local level.
However, the reality of the situation is that given the enormous pressure the NHS is under, these plans are more likely to be about sustainability rather than transformation. This will mean cuts to services and the loss of health professionals.
As a country, we face considerable challenges about how we deliver health services in the 21st century. We have an aging population and a potential crisis in public health. It is only right therefore that there is a much wider public debate about the changes which need to be made to our NHS. I share the concern that the current Sustainability and Transformation Plans are being drafted without consultation with patients or NHS professionals.
There is deep public cynicism about this Government’s commitment to the NHS. The context in which these plans are being developed – one of falling budgets and significant cutbacks – means that people are understandably sceptical about whether these changes are being developed in the best interests of patients or are simply an exercise in delivering further cuts.
I appreciate you taking the time to raise this important matter with me, as it is always very useful to receive information from constituents so that I am best placed to raise their concerns in Parliament.
You may be interested to know that by visiting the website: www.theyworkforyou.com you can follow what I am doing in Parliament. I also have a website: www.danjarvis.org or you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook.