Give the public a choice (From Haringey Independent)

Give the public a choice

3:22pm Wednesday 6th February 2008 in

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The admission by Haringey Primary Care Trust at the Muswell Hill area assembly and at its board meeting on January 29 and 30 respectively, that it will introduce polyclinics without further formal public consultation, came as no surprise but is still unacceptable.

Disregarding much public and political opposition and numerous serious concerns, which have yet to be addressed, the PCT claims it's acting in the public's interest and states in reports "no change is not an option" and "the overview and scrutiny committee is satisfied with the consultations".

The OSC shouldn't have approved the PCT's consultation, as it was badly flawed and key aspects of it were misrepresented in the PCT's written and aural responses to the OSC. But the OSC never noticed.

The PCT acknowledges something isn't quite right and it's draft operating plan 2008/9 recognises the risk of "the potential for legal challenge to the consultation process".

Approval of the "final version" of the Primary Care Strategy has been rescheduled from March to May. And the PCT has hired a self-serving community consultancy firm to allay people's fears and to convince them polyclinics, centralisation of services and the Darzi Plan are fab.

The PCT is supposed to run an honest consultation. It knows that if it ever gave an option like improving the existing GP practices, which are in the community, accessible, and have a proven track-record of providing care, or four polyclinics, which are meant to open for a little longer, provide a few more services, are expensive and unproven, the public would choose GP practices and chemists. Wouldn't they?

Mario Petrou Chairman of the Save St Ann's Hospital campaign group.