KOHIN

Keep Our Hospital in Norwich

The CHC

The Community Health Council and Colney Hospital

Overview: 1987: pro-Hellesdon for second hospital.; 1988: sent letters to Minister & Enquiry Inspector stating opinion there was adequate site at Hellesdon, but decided not to speak against Colney at public enquiry.; 1992: supported single-site hospital at Colney, without dissent, before the results of NHA public consultation were known.; 1993: sent letter to Secretary of State for Health making clear proposal for single-site Colney hospital fully supported by the CHC.; 1993: supported NHA putting forward new Business Plan with reduced bed numbers of around 700.; 1997: decided not to discuss siting of hospital at Colney further.

Summary of Meetings

14 April 1987: Choice of Hellesdon for second hospital affirmed.
14 July 1987: Mike Tomlinson appointed member of the CHC.
Chairman, Cyril Bardwell, told members the Health Minister had called for appraisal of proposed Colney site by the NHA.
8 September 1987: Meeting informed that CHC representatives had met with sub-committee of the EARHA and confirmed their preference for Hellesdon.
12 April 1988: In reply to Mrs Power Clare's question whether the CHC would give evidence against Colney at the public enquiry, the chairman said no because the CHC had never opposed Colney, but merely favoured Hellesdon. The public enquiry was "purely on a question of planning and did not deal with the matter of the best site for the hospital, and that all concerned bodies are aware of the views of the CHC." After lengthy discussion it was decided to write to the MInister and the Inspector stating the CHC felt there was no need to depart from the structure plan, there being an adequate site at Hellesdon.
10 April 1990: Reports were given of the NHA meetings of 15/2/90 and 15/3/90 attended by CHC observers at which siting of Norwich 2 at Colney was confirmed.
11 September 1990: Mike Tomlinson was elected vice-chairman.
11 June 1991: A 'pause' in the planning of Norwich 2 was reported (phase 1 having been completed by April 1991) because 1650 beds were thought to be too many.
10 September 1991: Concern was expressed at the £9,000 cost of David Walker's trip to the USA to look at how their hospitals work with 60% of patients treated as out-patients.
21 November 1991: Briefing meeting of Hospitals Group of the CHC. Diana Clarke, Director of Corporate Planning & Acting District Manager of NHA, explained change from NHA's plans to build 920 bed hospital, approved in principle by Secretary of Stae in 1990, to deciding to go for a single site hospital at Colney. David Astley, Unit Director, Acute Services N&N said nothing over 1,000 beds would be considered suitable. An option Appraisal was being carried out to justify move to a single-site hospital.
19 May 1992: Special meeting to discuss new DGH and to formulate CHC's response to the NHA's consultation document. Long and detailed discussion took place and then it was "agreed without dissent that the CHC should support the provision of a single site DGH at Colney Lane." (These minutes were not signed by the chairman).
N.B. This date was before the end of the public consultation period, 29th May
14 July 1992: Report of NHA meeting of 18/6/92 when it was agreed to build a single site hospital at Colney Lane.
13 October 1992: Mike Tomlinson was elected as chairman by 12 votes to 6.
6 April 1993: It was agreed to write to the Secretary of State for Health, with copies to the RHA chairman, the DHA chairman, local MPs and the Chancellor of the Exchequer stating that "the proposal for a single site second [sic] DGH at Colney is fully supported by the CHC, urging that a decision be taken with minimum of delay, and a start made on the hospital."
14 September 1993: Norwich 2 update: chairman referrd to the meeting between himself, Mrs Temple (Chief Officer of CHC) and Paul Kemp of the RHA concerning the NHA Business Plan. "Having been requested to make a statement to the media on the matter, following the meeting with Paul Kemp, Mr Tomlinson had considered it better, since it had been made clear that the Treasury would not approve a 900 plus bed hospital, to go along with a Unit of around 700 beds, in order to get the promised second [sic] DGH, which, with modern building methods, could easily be erected if required."
A motion was carried (voting figures not given) that "Norwich CHC supports the Task Force and others working with the NHA to put forward a new Business Plan, and together decide suitable bed numbers of around 700, which could be further developed in the future as necessary."
13 December 1994: "The Chairman informed members that it had been made clear that there is no requirement on the Acute Trust to hold any further public debate about the establishment of a new hospital for Norwich, or about its Business Case."
11 April 1995: Mrs Ross referred to a proposal to build an extra tier on the car park at the N&N.
8 October 1996: The Chairman reported on the ENHA meeting that 107 more beds had been agreed for Colney, bringing the number to 808.
10 June 1997: The Chairman reported on the meeting between himself, Chief Officer and Charles Clarke MP. "It had been made clear to Mr Clarke that there would be no benefit in going back over matters discussed over the last 15 years, and that, since there was only 1 offer on the table...this should be supported."
14 October 1997: The Chairman referred to letters sent by KOHIN to CHC members. He recapped the CHC discussions and decisions on provision of a new hospital "from 1987 to the present, when it had been supported by the CHC without dissent on 2 separate occasions." Motion passed that no further discussion on the siting of the hospital at Colney should take place, 14 votes to 0, 1 abstention.

Additional note:

NHA consultation document 1992 states, "A single -site solution was considered at the time of the Colney Lane planning enquiry and when the 'Approval in principle' document was submitted to the Secretary of State in 1990. However, the cost of building 1,650 beds at Colney - £188 million at 1990 prices - was well beyond the resources ever likely to be available, so the two site option was reluctantly accepted."

Community Health Councils: accountability & public consultation

Dear Mr Dobson,
Community Health Councils have a statutory duty to represent the interests in the health service of the public in their districts. On 19th June 1997 in the House of Lords Baronnes Jay stated: "We continue to acknowledge the pivotal role played by the community health councils in articulating the views of local people". However, it appears that there are no regulations or guidelines for CHCs to follow in order to ascertain these views, and there is no accountability on the part of the CHCs to those they are supposed to represent. Weask that guidelines and mechanisms to ensure accountability may be drawn up and put into effect as soon as possible.
In the particular case of the Norwich District CHC there is deep disquiet about the conduct of the CHC with regard to the decision to close the West Norwich and Norfolk & Norwich hospitals to build a district general hospital at Colney.
The Norwich District CHC has consistently ignored the evidence of public opposition to the Colney scheme, and misled Ministers into believing that there is support for the scheme among local people. In the House of Lords on 3rd June 1997, Baroness Jay stated that "the local community health councils have endorsed the proposals as they stand," with the implication that this represented the view of the public, when in fact the opposite was the case.
When the closure of the N&N Hospital was publicised in 1996, there was widespread outcry from the public, genertating many, many letters in the local press (examples can be seen at the KOHIN website), and protest meetings and demonstrations weer held. Charles Clarke MP said in his statement of 30th May 1997: "I am well aware that the overwhelming majority of people in the Norwich South Parliamentary constituency believe, like me, that it would have been better to proceed at the City Centre." Mr Tomlinson, chairman of the CHC, and the other members responded to this clear demonstration of opposition only by reiteratring their support for the Colney option. Document 1 is an article from the Eastern Daily Press, 19th June 1997, referring to Mr Tomlinson's view that "the Government needed tp allow the hospital to be built" at Colney. Indeed Mr Tomlinson was forceful in promoting Colney when the scheme was considered, in 1966, by the planning committee of South Norfolk Council even though he was a member of that committee. He dismissed out of hand those opposing the application, treating the 20,000 signature petition against the Colney hospital proposal as of no account.

We request that an inquiry be heald into the conduct of the Norwich District CHC.

Enclosed are copies of other documents showing how the CHC has failed to act in a proper manner.

Document 2 is a resume of CHC discussions and resolutions passed relating to the Colney Hospital, taken from the minutes of the CHC meetings. The Norwich Health Authority conducted publlic consultation during March to May 1992, but the CHC did not even wait until the end of the consultation period, 29th May 1992, but decided to support the Colney Option on 19th May 1992. Indeed, the way the consultation was conducted has generated much concern. Document 3 is a letter to the EDP of 27th Novemner 1997 from Charles Clarke MP. In it he states that the N&N "NHS Trust conducted the whole debate about this vital issue for the future of health care [ie the Colney hospital] in a way which failed to explain properly and openly what the trust was about and so aggravated community tensions and weakened community confidence in the Health Service," and it seems that the CHC has been a party to this lack of openness. Althoughbthe consultation document included a number of options, the Norwich Health Authority made it clear it was committed to a single-site hospital at Colney, giving the public the impression there was no other viable option. In 1996 KOHIN commissioned an architect who produced a plan to redevelop the city centre site. The issues raised by Mr Clarke refect the continuimg deep dissatisfacti0n felt by the general public.

In September 1997 when a letter was sent to all CHC members asking for information on how the CHC had consulted the public (Document 4), Mr Tomlinson told members not to respond (Document 5). In our view this was improper, amounting to an attempt tp prevent the members from answering legitimate questions.

For these reasons we request an inquiry.

Yours sincerely,
Amanda Williams.
5th March 1998

Worst of Wait-list Hospitals Revealed

Mr Tomlinson is quoted under the above headline in the Sunday Times 29th March 1998
The N&N Trust is identified as having the third longest waiting list in the country with 13,870 patients on the list. Mr Tomlinson is quoted as claiming that people waiting for the removal of a mole were put together with those needing hip replacements. "The whole system needs overhauling," he said.

The Takeheart Health Check

"It is the people's national health service and we should never forget that."

(Alan Milburn MP, Minister of State for Health, Hansard 15th May 1997)

"City centres are the places for hospitals."

(John Gummer, recently Minister for the Environment, Bristol 22nd March 1996)