Oldham Council’s Liberal Democrat opposition have renewed their calls for greater scrutiny of the Northern Care Alliance (NCA), which runs NHS services in the Borough, after it emerged that only 4% of those who were fit enough to be discharged were actually leaving hospital in early January.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw representative, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “The added pressure these appalling discharge figures are placing on our health service is coming at a time when our A&E services are failing. Nearly 800 people waited more than 12 hours in hospital waiting rooms in December. People can’t get an appointment with a GP. It’s a terrifying time for a lot of people.”
At a council meeting in December, councillor Sykes called for a ‘joint scrutiny panel’ to be created so that councillors could work with NHS leaders to address the crisis facing NHS services.
Oldham Council Leader failed to commit her group to such a plan in December, but the Liberal Democrats have renewed calls for greater scrutiny after figures for hospital discharges revealed the worsening state of local services earlier in January.
Councillor Sykes said, “The Government has been completely derelict in its duty. They have failed our NHS. But Oldham Council cannot sit on its hands and wait for the Conservatives in London to fix things. If we do that, we’ll be waiting a very long time!”
“Councillors have a responsibility to work with local NHS services and to ask the tough questions. The Council’s leadership must now join the Liberal Democrats in calling for a proper scrutiny body for the Northern Care Alliance, because without one, people across Oldham will not have a voice when it comes to their health service.”