Guest columnist: Concerns on how NHS proposals will affect Bassetlaw

Our own health and that of others is extremely important and there are currently plans being put together that may affect how healthcare is delivered locally.

Some of you may have read or heard about the NHS’s Sustainability and Transformational Plans (STPs) that are being developed across the country. Areas have been divided into ‘footprints’.

In Bassetlaw, we fit into two ‘footprints’, one that delivers our clinical services (South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw) and one that delivers our social care services (Nottingham and Nottinghamshire).

These STPs are part of a Government programme to get councils, social care and health care providers working better together to improve services.

However, at the heart of these plans is the need to save money.

As a council we want to see continued improvements in NHS services in Bassetlaw and I, along with my colleagues, am greatly concerned that the reality of the STP proposals for Bassetlaw will result in severe cuts to our NHS services.

As such we will be writing to the STP lead for South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, Sir Andrew Cash, to express our concerns about the process, a reduction in funding andhow this could impact on local NHS services.

We will also establish a scrutiny review of the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP proposals and their implications for Bassetlaw Hospital.

In addition, we will ask the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP lead to give due regard to the concerns of local residents and councillors before implementing any service changes in Bassetlaw.

Some of these changes may be a long way off, some may be just round the corner.

Regardless of when they happen, we will be working hard on your behalf to make sure that local people receive the best treatment and services possible.