The A Picture of Health proposals could mean changes at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich
GREENWICH Council has been branded a "disgrace" for responding two months late to a consultation on the future of healthcare in the News Shopper area.
The A Picture of Health consultation asked residents and councils to choose from three options and comment on how health services in Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley and Bexley could be reorganised.
The three-month consultation ended on April 11, but Greenwich Council failed to respond until June 10 - more than two months late.
At a full council meeting at Woolwich Town Hall on June 25, Tory councillors said the Labour council's late response was a "disgrace" and a public apology should be published.
Tory councillor Spencer Drury said: "I think it's a massive issue for the people of this borough and I'm genuinely astonished at the council's late response."
Another Tory councillor, Graeme Coombes, said: "It's a disgrace and they have really
neglected the interests of the people."
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Labour councillors claimed they responded late because they needed more time to properly review the evidence.
Councillor Chris Roberts, the Labour leader of the council, said: "Health issues require more than hot-headed thinking and our response has been thoughtful."
Cllr Sharon Massey
Labour councillor Angela Cornforth said: "Unlike Bexley and other councils we have not just dived in feet first, but have listened to the people and worked out an appropriate response."
Tory councillor Sharon Massey, cabinet member for health and adult care at Bexley Council, insists its response to the consultation was not rushed and was carefully considered.
Cllr Massey said: "It's ridiculous Greenwich Council can't get its act together over such an important issue.
"And we're certainly not going to apologise for listening to the people of Bexley and submitting our response on time."
Greenwich Council claims it had secured an agreement to submit a late response to the consultation.
But A Picture of Health spokesman said the council's response was far too late to be
included in the final results of the consultation, published on June 20.
The spokesman added it will be considered by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts when it makes its final decision on healthcare changes later in the summer.
Options outlined in the consultation include the removal of some A&E, maternity and childcare services at hospitals in Lewisham and Sidcup.
But the trust board at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, fears it will not be able to cope with the increased number of patients coming to use its facilities as a result.
It also says plans to turn Queen Elizabeth's 28-bed day surgery unit into a 20-bed acute ward are not feasible.
More than 9,500 people replied to the consultation on the A Picture of Health proposals, with another 1,300 telephone inquiries.
The most popular response, given by 2,469 out of 8,374 respondents to the questionnaire, was not to support any of the options.
Posted by: Eddie Clonk, Charlton on 11:15am Tue 1 Jul 08
What a waste of our council tax! I was only at Shooters Hill surgery yesterday, looking at a display stand full of these thick glossy A4 consultation documents still sitting in the waiting room. And now we find the whole thing was a waste of time anyway!
What a waste of our council tax! I was only at Shooters Hill surgery yesterday, looking at a display stand full of these thick glossy A4 consultation documents still sitting in the waiting room. And now we find the whole thing was a waste of time anyway!
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