Open letter to Ruth Dombey & Sutton Council
Lib Dem Leader of Sutton Council fails to act on hospital downgrade.
Ruth Dombey, refer the St Helier Hospital decision back to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, not to our local MPs!
Dear Ruth,
You will be aware that many residents and patients are opposed to the decision by Clinical Commissioning Groups to move acute services away from St Helier and Epsom Hospitals and into a new smaller unit at Belmont.
In fact, you say that you oppose the decision yourself, along with the other Lib Dem Councillors.
So why, when residents write to you to ask the Council to reject the plans and refer the decision back to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for independent scrutiny, as Merton Council have done, do you not respond to this request?
Instead you advise residents to take the matter up with their local MPs, both of whom have come out in favour of the move to Belmont.
Local MPs have no power or authority in this matter, whereas the Council does have the authority to refer the decision back to the Secretary of State or to take legal advice about requesting a judicial review.
So why aren't you and the rest of the Councillors acting to protect our local NHS services by seeking to have the decision reviewed?
Do we conclude that you are actually in favour of the decision, but want to deflect responsibility onto our local Conservative MPs?
It's time for some openness and honesty from our elected representatives.
So we ask you again, will you exercise your power to refer the CCGs' decision on our local hospital services back to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for independent scrutiny, on the grounds that there was insufficient public consultation, insufficient openness about the decision making process, and that credible and well-researched objections were not properly considered?
We await your response.
Yours sincerely
Carshalton and Wallington Labour Party
Sutton residents - if you are concerned about the way the Clinical Commissioning Groups made the decision to move acute hospital services away from your local hospital, please write to or email the Leader of the Council Ruth Dombey and your local councillors to ask them to refer the decision back to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for independent srutiny.
(Please also feel free to write to or email your local MP to express your concerns)
Please include your name, address and postcode when writing or emailing.
Contact details:
Ruth Dombey ruth.dombey@sutton.gov.uk
Correspondance address: Civic Offices, St. Nicholas Way, Sutton, SM1 1EA
Look up your local councillors here using your postcode: