Concerns raised about Shropshire CCG's debt ahead of merger with Telford
Concerns have been raised that Telford & Wrekin would absorb Shropshire's debts when two NHS health groups merge.
It was agreed last month to merge the two Clinical Commissioning Groups in a bid to make cuts of 20 per cent to running costs and save £1.2 million.
But the plans have come under fire, mainly from councillors in Telford & Wrekin because its CCG has a balanced budget, while Shropshire CCG has a £28m deficit.
At the Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee on Monday, co-chairman Derek White, of Telford & Wrekin Council, said the plans felt more like a takeover than a merger.
"Nothing I have heard has filled me with any encouragement," he added.
"If I'm honest, I am totally against the merger. This is a way of Telford absorbing some of the debts Shropshire has.
"I'm concerned about Shropshire's overspend and how we approach that. There's going to have to be cuts somewhere else.
"My job is not to be political, but to look out for what affects out community and this is just how we feel in Telford & Wrekin."
David Evans, accountable officer of Telford & Wrekin CCG, assured members that it is not a takeover but the creation of a new organisations.
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He said the majority of the cuts will be made by stopping duplication, as each CCG currently has its own accountable officer and board.
But he could not rule out a programme of voluntary redundancies.
"We have not yet made any decision on redundancies be it voluntarily or otherwise, but we would want to move quickly to ensure that there is no long period of uncertainty for staff," he said.
"While nothing has been decided yet, uncertainty often leads to people leaving where they work to find somewhere stable so we are working to reassure people quickly.”
David Stout, accountable officer for Shropshire CCG, confirmed there would only be one accountable officer moving forward.
That role had to be advertised nationally to attract the best person for the role.
“It could be that myself or David wish to apply," he added. "That is a decision we will take personally, but it has been advertised to ensure we get the best person for the job.
“We are hoping that the merger will be in place and there will be one group rather than two by April next year.
“To make that a reality, we need to have the application in by September which means the pressure is on to deliver it.
“Representatives from both Shropshire and Telford CCGs are meeting on a weekly basis to ensure that plans are moving quickly.”
