Agenda item

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Cate McDonald

That this Council:-

 

(a)       is appalled that at a time when the NHS is facing the biggest financial squeeze in its history, when waiting lists are at four million, and when Accident & Emergency Units are in crisis, the Autumn Statement contained not a single penny of extra investment for social care and the NHS;

 

(b)       regrets that instead of putting extra investment into the NHS and social care to address the financial crisis it faces, the Government are attempting to force through cuts to the NHS through Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs);

 

(c)        notes that the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP was published on Friday 11th November 2016 by the NHS;

 

(d)       recognises that the NHS should always be striving to improve services, however, believes that the way that Sustainability and Transformation Plans have been developed has led to them becoming a mechanism for implementing the Five Year Forward View, which includes £22 billion of efficiency savings or cuts;

 

(e)       believes that the STP process has lacked transparency and should have been conducted in a more transparent manner with a broad conversation with the public about the challenges facing the NHS and how to tackle them; and

 

(f)        resolves to continue to oppose the Government’s cuts to NHS and local government funding, which are already leading to a crisis for adult social care, and to make the case for the extra investment that is desperately needed for these vital public services and resist further cuts to the NHS and social care on the back of STPs.

 

Minutes:

 

NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans (2)

 

 

13.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Cate McDonald, and formally seconded by the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Anne Murphy), that this Council:-

 

 

 

(a)       is appalled that at a time when the NHS is facing the biggest financial squeeze in its history, when waiting lists are at four million, and when Accident & Emergency Units are in crisis, the Autumn Statement contained not a single penny of extra investment for social care and the NHS;

 

(b)       regrets that instead of putting extra investment into the NHS and social care to address the financial crisis it faces, the Government are attempting to force through cuts to the NHS through Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs);

 

(c)        notes that the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP was published on Friday 11th November 2016 by the NHS;

 

(d)       recognises that the NHS should always be striving to improve services, however, believes that the way that Sustainability and Transformation Plans have been developed has led to them becoming a mechanism for implementing the Five Year Forward View, which includes £22 billion of efficiency savings or cuts;

 

(e)       believes that the STP process has lacked transparency and should have been conducted in a more transparent manner with a broad conversation with the public about the challenges facing the NHS and how to tackle them; and

 

(f)        resolves to continue to oppose the Government’s cuts to NHS and local government funding, which are already leading to a crisis for adult social care, and to make the case for the extra investment that is desperately needed for these vital public services and resist further cuts to the NHS and social care on the back of STPs.

 

 

13.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Paul Scriven, and formally seconded by Councillor Richard Shaw, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (g) and (h) as follows:-

 

 

 

(g)       believes that it is rank hypocrisy for the Administration to state “the STP process has lacked transparency and should have been conducted in a more transparent manner with a broad conversation with the public about the challenges facing the NHS and how to tackle them”, when Council officials have been part of the process from the beginning and the Administration could have took active steps to become involved in the process and published the deal or invited public participation; and

 

(h)       notes the actions of the Leader of Sutton Council who published the NHS' STP in full on the Sutton Council website back in October.

 

 

13.3

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

 

 

13.4

It was then formally moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson, and formally seconded by Councillor Magid Magid, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

 

 

 

1.         the addition, in paragraph (d), after the words “the NHS should always be striving to improve services”, of the words “and welcomes the focus in the STP on investment in prevention, mental health and primary and community care”; and

 

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (g) to (k) as follows:-

 

(g)       notes that £107m of the proposed £571m of cuts across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw relate directly to local authority functions of social care and public health;

 

(h)       believes that the detailed financial plans (to be drawn up in early 2017) should include a clear commitment to shift funds into social care;

 

(i)         believes that the Council should have a role to play in scrutinising and deciding whether to endorse the STP;

 

(j)         believes that neither the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw plan, nor the Sheffield plan, at present, put forward credible proposals to invest in new preventative work at the same time as achieving the huge spending cuts in the proposed timescale; and

 

(k)        therefore calls on the relevant Cabinet Member to demonstrate opposition to these spending cuts by not approving the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP on behalf of the Council until there has been adequate public consultation.

 

 

13.5

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

 

 

13.6

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried as follows:-

 

 

 

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

 

(a)       is appalled that at a time when the NHS is facing the biggest financial squeeze in its history, when waiting lists are at four million, and when Accident & Emergency Units are in crisis, the Autumn Statement contained not a single penny of extra investment for social care and the NHS;

 

(b)       regrets that instead of putting extra investment into the NHS and social care to address the financial crisis it faces, the Government are attempting to force through cuts to the NHS through Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs);

 

(c)        notes that the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP was published on Friday 11th November 2016 by the NHS;

 

(d)       recognises that the NHS should always be striving to improve services, however, believes that the way that Sustainability and Transformation Plans have been developed has led to them becoming a mechanism for implementing the Five Year Forward View, which includes £22 billion of efficiency savings or cuts;

 

(e)       believes that the STP process has lacked transparency and should have been conducted in a more transparent manner with a broad conversation with the public about the challenges facing the NHS and how to tackle them; and

 

(f)        resolves to continue to oppose the Government’s cuts to NHS and local government funding, which are already leading to a crisis for adult social care, and to make the case for the extra investment that is desperately needed for these vital public services and resist further cuts to the NHS and social care on the back of STPs.