Council refers entire sustainability and transformation partnership to Health Secretary

Southend-on-Sea councillors have referred the entire Mid and South Essex NHS Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) plan to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, despite officers’ advice to do so only on narrower grounds.

A report to the people scrutiny committee recommended referral over only the move of stroke services to Basildon.

But despite a Conservative majority, councillors backed a Labour amendment to refer the whole plan.

Mr Hancock can opt before responding to seek advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel, an expert body which advises on proposed changes to NHS services that have been contested.

STPs are geographically based partnerships between the NHS and local councils to run better coordinated services to agreed priorities.

Southend council in July unanimously agreed that the scrutiny committee should “give due consideration to referral to the secretary of state”, over objections that centred around stroke services, investment in localities, transfers and transport, consolidated discharge and repatriation capital investment and workforce issues.

The council was also concerned that the STP consultation had reached too few people.

A council spokesman said the referral was the scrutiny committee’s decision to make and did not need ratification by the council, and that it stopped the STP process until the government responded.

The five clinical commissioning groups involved in the STP adopted it in July. They said then that its benefits included improvements to accident and emergency service sat Southend, Basildon and Chelmsford hospitals, developing a new specialist stroke unit at Basildon and “bringing together in one place some specialist inpatient care where there is existing expertise and to allow for extended hours”.

Professor Mike Bewick, chair of the joint committee of the five groups, told the BBC: "We are confident that our consultation process was open and transparent, and the evidence behind the models of care recommended will enhance the existing provision of hospital care for our whole population.”

The STP also covers Thurrock and part of Essex County Council’s area.

Mark Smulian