Council call for cancer switch inquiry
At an emergency meeting yesterday, members of Cornwall Council's Health and Adult Services Overview Scrutiny Committee followed colleagues in Exeter by asking for top-level intervention.
But even as heated discussions about the move of complex Upper Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancer services were taking place at County Hall in Truro, South West MPs were raising the issue of transferring Westcountry cancer services at a special debate in the House of Commons.
In a debate about the transfer of services from Exeter to Plymouth, during which concerns over the move in Cornwall were also raised, East Devon Conservative MP Hugo Swire said a constituent who is currently undergoing treatment had been told not to talk to politicians about the matter.
"A culture of secrecy seems to have been created, with a rather sinister air of intimidation surrounding the entire proposal to relocate – a proposal that I do not believe adds anything to the argument, but which makes us in this place rather suspicious about the motives behind it all," he said.
Angela Browning, Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, who secured the debate, supported the move to a centre of excellence. But she said she had real fears about the future of the Royal Devon and Exeter's "groundbreaking" specialist keyhole surgery unit.
"Patients are worried, doctors do not know where they stand, and we face the potential loss of a groundbreaking unit, not only in the Westcountry but in the rest of the country," she said.
St Ives MP Andrew George also spoke in the debate to say Mrs Browning had "raised an important issue that also affects Cornwall".
Mrs Browning backed her colleague Mr Swire, saying: "The way in which the primary care trust has gone about all this looks extremely sinister."
However in Cornwall, the decision by the OSC to refer the matter to Health Secretary Andy Burnham came at the end of a long campaign by campaigners. In July, health chiefs decided to move upper GI cancer operations from the Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske (RCHT) and from Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (RD&E) to Derriford.
Bosses at both primary care trusts argue that a centre of excellence is needed in order to improve survival rates of this rare form of cancer.
However, protesters say it is unreasonable for the patients to have to travel long distances for treatment and that the public consultation process has not been followed properly.
Around 25 patients a year would be affected in Cornwall.
In October, the WMN exclusively revealed that the decision to shift Upper GI services from Truro to Plymouth was taken despite legal advice obtained by the RCHT last July that the move could be unlawful. Last year, RCHT was warned that proposed changes to services were so substantial they warranted full public consultation with the people of Cornwall. But the advice was not published and the go-ahead was given to transfer services for Upper GI cancers, with councillors on the former Cornwall County Council backing the move.
Cornwall PCT said it was not a "substantial" variation in services and a full public consultation was not necessary. Instead, it undertook a "public engagement" process to explain the plans and allay fears.
Yesterday, Cornwall Council's Health and Adults Overview and Scrutiny Committee voted in favour of referring the decision to Mr Burnham.
Speaking after the meeting, Coun Mario Fonk, who had specially requested the meeting due to recent developments, including the WMN revelations, said: "I am very pleased that the committee voted in this way. The PCT has tried to push this move through without a proper public consultation and we are very concerned over the legal advice RCHT received but chose not to share.
"How can the council make the right decision if it does not have all the information?"
Coun Fonk said it was unfair for Cornwall cancer patients to have to travel to Plymouth and that the county should have its own centre of excellence.
Rose Woodward from the Isles of Scilly Cancer Patient and Carer Group, said: "I'm delighted. This is a good day for the cancer patients of Cornwall."
However, doctors who spoke on behalf of the PCT at yesterday's meeting said they were "disappointed" by the decision. Dr Alex Mayor, medical director at Plymouth Hospitals Trust, said: "This is a terrible day for cancer patients in Cornwall. All the clinical evidence supports the case for a centre of excellence because they improve survival rates."
