Hospital changes to leave Scunthorpe patients "disaffected" says council leader
A decision on proposals to move some services from Scunthorpe to Grimsby has been postponed until May.
Asking patients from Scunthorpe to travel to Grimsby for some hospital services will increase health inequalities, according to local councils.
Proposals would see adult patients with heart, lung or stomach problems who might need to stay in hospital for over 72 hours, along with children and young people who need to stay for 24 hours, needing to travel from Scunthorpe to be treated at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.
A joint panel of Humberside and Lincolnshire councils has said the move would increase health inequalities, and would not address the health service's financial concerns.
North Lincolnshire Council Leader Rob Waltham said: "You'd have to travel for it, and I think some people would be disaffected from getting treatment, and therefore they might not live as good a life as they would if they got access more locally."
Urgent and emergency care for most patients would still be provided at both hospitals, which would both retain 24/7 Accident and Emergency Departments.
North Lincolnshire Council has already unanimously objected to the changes, and has threatened to launch a judicial review.
Cllr Waltham said: "We will use the full force and might of the council however we need to, to make sure if these proposals are enacted, we'll take it to the secretary of state or the highest court in the land to make sure people understand we're fighting and we're on the residents' side."
A final decision on proposals, originally planned for March, has been pushed back to May due to the volume of responses to the public consultation.
Cllr Waltham said: "I want them to see that it was ill-considered, didn't consider residents locally and do what they really need to do which is go back to the drawing board and look at this again."
The Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said: "Throughout the 14-week public consultation we've had tremendous engagement from our communities in and around northern Lincolnshire and we are grateful to everyone who participated.
"All of the information and feedback we've received from residents and stakeholders – including local councils – will be collated, independently analysed and compiled into a feedback report by an independent research organisation, Opinion Research Services (ORS).
"This report will tell everyone, including decision-makers, what the public and all our stakeholders have told us. We will then use this information to help us write our Decision-Making Business Case, which will make a recommendation or series of recommendations on how we should proceed.
"We will consider the views and evidence given during the public consultation alongside other material information – such as changes to policy, regulations or clinical standards and any updated activity or workforce modelling – before making our decision on how these services should be delivered in the future."