Wembley Matters reader and contributor Philip Grant wrote to Cllr Muhammed Butt, leaer of Brent Council, about the closure of the Northwick Park Hospital Hydrotherapy Pool. This is Cllr Butt's response:
Dear Mr Grant,
Thank you very much for your email regarding the closure of the hydrotherapy pool at Northwick Park Hospital and for sharing the recent article and context with us.
As you rightly pointed out, the decision to close the hydrotherapy pool ultimately rests with the North West London University Hospitals NHS Trust. However, we completely understand and share your alarm about the potential impact this closure may have on Brent residents who have come to rely on this valuable service.
Our Lead Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care, Councillor Neil Nerva, will be reaching out to the Trust to gain a clearer understanding of the rationale behind this decision and to learn what, if any, mitigating measures are being considered. We firmly believe that the voices of patients, staff, and the wider community should be taken into account in any major changes to local health services.
Additionally, Barry Gardiner MP is raising this issue at the highest levels within the NHS, following representations from concerned residents and stakeholders. We welcome this intervention and will remain in close contact with him to support efforts to ensure there is proper engagement and consideration of alternative solutions.
Thank you once again for bringing this matter to our attention and for your continued advocacy on behalf of the community.
Regards
Muhammed
Cllr Muhammed Butt
Leader of Brent Council.
6 comments:
Butt why is he not insisting that Brent uses its statutory right to scrutinise this decision before the closure can go ahead???
Apart from Planning Committee there are no council meetings scheduled for August. The next Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee is not until September 17th - well after the closure if the Trust gets their way. It would have to be an Extraordinary Meeting as an emergency. Timing is unfortunate or perhaps deliberate!
Surely deliberate timing!
Why is it always left to the superior knowledged professional Philip Grant to pick up the Council on the errors of their ways. Is their no one in the Councils legal department to advise? what is morally the right thing to do?
Dear Anonymous (31 July at 10:23),
Thank you for your comment / questions. As you have mentioned me by name, it would be impolite of me not to attempt a reply.
I would like to think that I am not the only person who tries 'to pick up the Council on the errors of their ways.' In fact, I know that there are others who also try to do so, including a few of Brent's elected councillors, but my efforts may appear to have a higher profile.
That is mainly because I am not afraid to share my efforts publicly, and in my own name, in comments or guest posts on "Wembley Matters". I am very grateful for Martin's tremendous efforts in hosting this blog, and giving the opportunity for people to share their views on issues of local interest.
I write comments or guest posts on subjects that I feel strongly about, but there is no reason why you, or anyone else, should not feel able to do the same.
The only advantages I have are the benefit of a good State education, the experience of a working life (first with charitable housing associations, then as a Civil Servant -only ever reaching "middle-rank", but with some of my work involving complex legal points, although I have no formal legal qualifications ) and the time to do so, as I am retired.
The reason that I include the text of some of the emails I write, and of replies I receive, is in the interests of openness and transparency, and so that these are available for anyone to read "in the public domain", if they are interested in who said what, and when. [Much of the evidence which will hopefully be used to hold some people responsible, in part, for the Grenfell Tower fire to account, comes from blog articles written in the years leading up to that tragedy.]
I know that Brent Council's legal department has been slimmed down over the years. They do still have some trained solicitors who can give advice, but I won't comment here with my views on the quality of some of the advice given!
Your last question, 'what is morally the right thing to do?', is a very wide one. There is so much going on locally, nationally and across the world that we as individuals feel is wrong. My own approach is to stand up (actually, it is usually sitting down at a keyboard!) for what I believe is right on matters where I hope that my views could make a difference if I make them known.
I can't do that for everything (I regret not finding the time to write to the PM and Home Secretary about their decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, for example).
Whatever action I decide to take, I do in a personal capacity, in the honest belief that it is the right thing to do, and so that no one else is held responsible for it. I am, by choice, a political independent, so that I do not have to toe any Party's line.
As my short answer to your final question, I think the phrase "be true to yourself and your beliefs" probably sums it up.
If anyone else wants to get involved in this discussion, please feel free to comment below, whether you agree with me or not.
As a last word - don't be afraid to get involved in standing up for what you believe in, and supporting causes you feel are right (but please do it non-violently, in both words and physical actions).
The Chair of the Brent Community & Well Being Scrutiny Committee also sits on the Joint North West London Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee. It is therefore Councillor Ketan Sheth who could request that the Closure proposals are subject to a detailed report and scrutiny by that Committee. Councillor Sheth as Chair of that Committee could insist that NO closure takes place and till that Committee did its scrutiny work.
The extent of Scrutiny in Brent - including of NHS related issues is set out below:
Scrutiny in Brent
Brent's scrutiny function has two scrutiny committees:
the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee
the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee.
Each is composed of 11 elected members (nine from the Labour Group and one member from each opposition group which is consistent with current political balance arrangements). There are a total of 12 scrutiny meetings held during the municipal year, six per committee. This enables an integrated approach within each committee to scrutinise thematic and related policy and service issues. It also gives the opportunity for members to develop expertise across services and hold detailed discussions.
The Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee also participates in the North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee as chair. It is composed of eight voting members from across North West London and one non-voting co-opted member. There are four North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings held during each municipal year.
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