Council's work to challenge health cuts - train on Tuesday to Westminister

An update on work at Stroud District Council re the threat to our health services is enclosed below. The Town Council are also busy with submissions. Last night at the Ruscombe and Whiteshill Parish Council they agreed to do a submission to both Weavers Croft and Stroud Maternity. If people haven't done theres yet please make the time even if you only send a brief letter - and not just to the health trusts but also Patricia Hewitt. See links below for help.

Catch the train on Tuesday

Cllr John Marjoram has been busy helping organise the train to Westminister from Stroud - The Forest of Dean have scheduled a special train to Parliament to present a petition to Patricia Hewitt to stop the closure of two Hospitals in the Forest. The Stroud campaign have hired a coach (72 seats) on that train to discuss action with Gloucestershire's 5 MP's including a member of the all Party Group on Maternity and a Royal College of Midwives representative. Part of the Houses debate that day is on Health. The fare is £20 leaving Stroud at 10am back from Paddington at 6pm - get your tickets from the SNJ or John Marjoram on 01453 750962.

Various other actions are also taking place. Read more at:
http://www.savestroudhospitals.org/
and http://www.stroudmaternitymatters.co.uk/

Stroud District Council update:

1. SDC are providing secretarial, administrative, meeting room and other support to the Save Stroud Hospital Taskforce (this taskforce does include Berkeley representatives). David Miller MBE, Chair of the Taskforce, has taken the time amongst all the many things he is doing to write to Chief Exec saying "One very noticeable part of this campaign is the efficiency of your staff and their very obvious willingness to help, this has been greatly encouraging to me and very beneficial to the campaign."

2. The Council has sent a brief to the Kings Fund, a national organisation specialising in health consultancy, asking them to help us on 'alternative options'.

3. The Council has offered £4000 financial assistance to Stroud Maternity Matters to employ a consultant to undertake the financial analysis. A similar sum for work on analysing the Weavers Croft and Tyndale Centre financial case has been offered but to date no consultant has been appointed.

4. The Council is represented on a Locality Forum, led by Cotswold and Vale PCT, which is drawing up proposals for the Berkeley, Cam and Dursley area. This group is undertaking the work that is necessary to put flesh onto the PCT's proposal to change health provision in this area of the District. As and when the PCT produce the detailed financial analysis to substantiate their outline proposal, we will seek to have that analysed in the same way.

5. Through Cllr Ray Apperley, the Council's representative on the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee run by Gloucestershire County Council, we are aware that the consultants employed by the County Council have published an interim report. The main recommendations are that more financial information needs to be made available by the trusts, together with their justification for choosing the course of action they propose and whether they looked at other options.