Hartlepool Council: We WILL fight for IVF services
Representatives from North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust failed to show at meeting two weeks ago.
Hartlepool Council say they are prepared to take legal action to save the town's vital IVF facilities.
It's been two weeks since hospital bosses failed to attend a special council meeting to explain their reason for closing the Assisted Reproduction Unit at Hartlepool Hospital.
Councillors were unable to put questions to the Hospital Trust and the meeting was adjourned.
Another meeting has been called for Friday 26th February, and senior councillors say they won't back down over this.
Councillor Ray Martin-Wells, chair of the Audit & Governance Committee said “the Hospital Trust has a legal duty to attend under the regulations”.
He added: “We have recently received notification from the Trust’s lawyers that they are prepared to enter into formal consultation over the planned closure.
“However, we have informed them that they should not automatically assume the outcome of that consultation and in the meantime we have written a letter from the Council’s Chief Solicitor on the advice of a Senior Barrister indicating that the Trust should rescind their earlier decision on closure of the fertility unit, including the protection of staff until the outcome of full consultation has been made known.
"Should they fail to do so, then the Council would explore its options.
“The time has come for the Hospital Trust to realise that the Council’s Audit & Governance Committee is not a talking shop and has teeth which we are prepared to use, and the Trust should be prepared for that.”