Decision made with no consultation (From Runcorn and Widnes World)

Decision made with no consultation

1:05pm Thursday 17th September 2009 in

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AS a councillor of Halton Borough Council I also hold a position on the Healthy Halton Policy and Performance Board.

I would like residents to know how disgusted my health colleagues and I are with the recent actions taken by Warrington and Halton Foundation Trust and we would like to make clear that we strongly disagree with its decision to charge for use of the free shuttle bus.

The trust made a decision with no consultation with Halton Borough Council and members of its own governors board to charge visitors using the shuttle bus from Halton Hospital to Warrington Hospital (which has, until now, been free for a number of years) by £2 per trip when visiting their loved ones. The reason behind the charge, according to Catherine Beardshaw, chief executive of the trust, is the demand in numbers and growing costs. I am sure members of the governing board must be asking themselves ‘then why are we on this board if decisions are made and we are not consulted?’.

It has also increased the prices for parking. At Warrington the charges are £2.50 and £3 for more than four hours, whereas the new car park at Whiston hospital charges only £1.50.

I find this harsh when the executive herself has recently had a £40,000 increase in her wages backdated to December 2008 while Alan Massey, chairman of the trust, has had his salary increased by £20,000.

Residents will be hard-pressed to find this extra money and may not be able to visit their families as often as they would like, in some cases to collect dirty washing. Surely the trust recognises having visitors help with well-being and recovery.

Halton residents have seen many services move from Halton to Warrington Hospital and I believe the trust has not taken into account the residents’ views at all and should retract the decision it has made.

How quickly they do forget!

CLLR PAMELA WALLACE Riverside