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Andrew Lansley MP urges advice over transfer of Upper GI services from Cornwall to be published

ANDREW LANSLEY MP, the Shadow Health Secretary, has called on the Government to publish a dossier containing advice over whether specialist cancer services should be transferred out of Cornwall.

Andrew has written to Health Secretary Andy Burnham MP urging him to publish advice given by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) over plans to move the upper-Gastro Intestinal cancer surgery from Truro to Plymouth.

He insists that the continued uncertainty over the proposals has proved “deeply damaging” to patients’ confidence in the standard of cancer services, while also providing “distracting” to management and clinicians.

The Health Secretary has so far refused to release the information from the IRP, saying only that he will "consider it carefully".

In his letter, Andrew Lansley writes:

As you will be aware, these proposals have been the subject of considerable debate in Cornwall for some time now. It is clear that the continuing uncertainty is deeply damaging, both in terms undermining patient’s confidence in the standard of cancer services, and distracting management and clinicians from focusing on securing the best outcomes for patients.

“As such, will you publish the advice that you received from the IRP as soon as possible?”

Sarah Newton, the Conservative Prospective MP for Truro & Falmouth said:

“Andrew Lansley has consistently supported my calls to make sure that where specialist cancer services are safe and supported by local GPs and patients that they should stay in Cornwall.

“The Government must recognise that Cornwall is different from the rest of the UK and stop imposing a ‘one-size fits all’ approach to the NHS in Cornwall.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

A full copy of the letter from Andrew Lansley MP is attached.

• The transfer of Upper GI cancer surgery was referred to the Health Secretary in December by Cornwall Council's health and adult services overview scrutiny committee. He in turn asked the IRP to prepare an preliminary assessment.
• As a result of the IRP's findings, the minister may order a full investigation. Alternatively, he may ratify the move.

• In November, Andrew Lansley called for an investigation into the decision to move Upper Gastro-Intestinal cancer services from Truro to Plymouth, after unpublished legal advice suggesting moving services without a formal public consultation may have been unlawful were revealed.

• The advice was sought by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. The transfer was subsequently given the go-ahead following a process of public "engagement". Officials at NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, the primary care trust which funds the service, released their own legal advice supporting their actions.

• Andrew Lansley rejected this and the arguments to move services from Cornwall in the first place, saying there was enough of a question mark in many people's minds to justify an inquiry.

ENDS

For more information, please telephone Sarah Newton on 07811 943164

News Story goes here

4th February 2010