Council slammed for "ignoring" plea for improved healthcare facilities in Central Bedfordshire

A motion to a full council meeting was considered for four minutes by the local authority’s executive committee in April, according to Independent Leighton Linslade West councillor Steve Owen, who drafted it.

The proposal asked for a health hub or urgent treatment centre in Leighton Buzzard delivering decentralised hospital services, and for a fourth GP surgery located at the new housing developments east of the town.

It also acknowledged demand for similar services elsewhere within the district. Councillor Owen called in his motion to a meeting of Central Bedfordshire Council’s social care, health and housing overview and scrutiny committee.

“The executive ignored my call for six separate actions, as well as the thunderous response of 5,500 Leighton-Linslade residents to a public survey of health facilities in my town,” he explained.

“It also ignored the wishes of residents in Biggleswade, Ampthill, Potton, Sandy and Shefford to have similar investment in their primary healthcare facilities. Instead it recorded a bland, complacent message that all was well.”

He suggested BLMK integrated care board (ICB) has “focused its spending on three main general hospitals, rather than front line community GP-led primary care facilities”, adding: “I hope this committee will ask the executive to go back to my November motion and give it a thorough objective consideration.”

Independent Leighton Linslade West councillor Russ Goodchild agreed, saying: “The action of the executive committee in essentially dismissing every pertinent point it was requested to consider in four minutes beggars belief.

“It’s sent completely the wrong message to the largest town in this unitary authority, but also the largest town in the UK without even a minor injuries centre.

“BLMK ICB has for too long ridden roughshod over the attempt by our towns to ensure government policies for specialist medical facilities and resources to our communities are enabled.

“It would ensure patients don’t have to continually travel long distances to the nearest hospital for such regular treatment. This council has by its lack of commitment and strength of purpose been complicit in this lack of progress. That has to change.

“I would ask this committee to put pressure on the ICB to publish its outline business case on further provision of health facilities to Leighton-Linslade, which has taken the best part of a year to complete.”

CBC’s director of social care, health and housing Andy Sharp referred to a range of officers who engage with the ICB, including chief executive Marcel Coiffait and head of integration (health and social care) Patricia Coker, with “conversations about what the strategic direction is intended to be”.

The committee agreed to refer the motion back to the executive noting access to healthcare is a significant concern for Central Beds residents, while the leader and new executive member should speak to ward councillors and “provide challenging engagement” with the ICB on producing healthcare facility proposals and its allocated budget.