Shropshire and Telford health groups merger 'a disaster in the making'
The merger of Shropshire's two health commissioning groups is a “disaster in the making” a leading campaigner has claimed.
Shropshire and Telford Clinical Commissioning Groups are set to merge on April 1 next year in a bid to save cash and time.
But Gill George, chair of Shropshire Defend Our NHS, said it would mean decisions are taken “more remotely” and called on MPs to step in.
She said: “There’s nothing in it for any of us, whether we live in Shropshire or Telford and Wrekin.
“It will make decision making ever more remote, which means health bosses will drive through cuts with even less transparency and accountability than we’re seeing now.
“For Shropshire people, it’ll mean less of a focus on rural healthcare, already neglected. That’s really bad news.
“And for Telford and Wrekin people, it means inheriting a massive deficit from Shropshire CCG – a predicted £41.3 million just this year – which means even bigger cuts in Telford.
"The financial situation is key here. Shropshire’s NHS is grotesquely underfunded.
“There just isn’t enough money coming into the local NHS to fund adequate healthcare for our older population across a largely rural area.
“And Telford and Wrekin’s NHS is sliding into the financial abyss now without any help from Shropshire.
Opportunity
“It would be more to the point if health bosses stopped their bureaucratic game playing, stopped NHS cuts, and went back to local MPs to tell them this is a disaster in the making.”
The two groups, which commission health services in the county, will merge at the start of the next financial year, providing the government approves the deal.
The decision to merge the two CCGs was made after they were told to save £1.2 million between them this year.
Earlier this year, accountable officer David Stout said redundancies would be avoided where possible and health commissioners would engage with the workforce to reassure staff.
He said: “There is an opportunity to build a new organisation that works the best for both.
“It really is an opportunity to do something positive.”
The merger has been criticised by some, mainly from Telford & Wrekin, with Councillor Shaun Davies, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council saying it will “fleece” the borough.
Concerns have been raised because Telford CCG has a balanced budget, while Shropshire CCG has a £28m deficit.
