Stratford MP calls for clarity over healthcare services

STRATFORD MP Nadhim Zahawi is joining Banbury MP Victoria Prentis in encouraging all those affected by changes to healthcare services in Oxfordshire to engage in Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s consultation, which was launched on Monday, as part of its Transformation Programme. This is despite him sharing Mrs Prentis’s concerns over the conduct of the consultation and the clarity of the consultation document.

Commenting, Mr Zahawi said:

“There are two principle concerns that I share with Victoria over this consultation. The first is that the final two weeks of the consultation’s first phase will overlap with the local election purdah in North Oxfordshire, for which there are clear rules on the permissibility of public engagement. This is a matter that I believe needs to be dealt with as soon as possible in order to ensure proper conduct of the consultation.

“The second concern relates to the splitting of the consultation into two phases. This is particularly worrying because the consultation document does not make clear what effect responses in phase one will have on the content of what is consulted in phase two. For example, a respondent may favour the moving of chemotherapy and dialysis to the Horton General Hospital (as suggested in phase one), but then may find in phase two that he/she has inadvertently endangered A&E services at the Horton because of resources being prioritised for chemotherapy and dialysis”.

In order to help constituents better understand the consultation document, Mr Zahawi is encouraging those affected to contact him as soon as possible with any questions.

Mr Zahawi can be contacted by email at constituents@zahawi.com or by phone at 01789 264362.