LABOUR COUNCILLORS SPEAKING UP FOR PUBLIC HEALTH IN CHESHIRE WEST

Labour councillors have explored the public health services available to residents during the Covid-19 pandemic at the health-focused Cheshire West & Chester Council Covid-19 Scrutiny Committee earlier this week.

Councillors praised the achievements of local health services to deliver structural changes in a matter of weeks, which would normally take decades. These rapid changes were necessary and are welcome, but Cllr Kate Cernik made sure that consultation would play a part in future changes to ensure that services are inclusive by asking, “What plans does the CCG have for consultation regarding the consolidation of moving a greater number of consultations from a face to face to a digital model on a permanent basis?”.

Residents will have noticed that throughout the pandemic, local pharmacies stayed open when GP surgeries were closed. This resulted in pharmacies being at the frontline of the response. Councillors asked about the impact on pharmacies, specifically footfall and people who would normally attend a GP or A&E department arriving in person. Reflecting the issues with personal protective equipment seen throughout the pandemic due to Government mismanagement of the stockpile, Cllr Sam Naylor asked, “Were there any specific problems encountered in community pharmacies, such as availability of PPE?”.

Cllr Sheila Little made the point that some screening programmes have a backlog to work through and, despite Government insistence that all is well, there are still real issues facing our communities. Government underfunding of our NHS for the past 10 years meant that, unlike in other developed countries, many of our basic health treatments have been suspended for too long. Cllr Sheila Little asked when the smear programme, routine mammograms and child immunisation will resume and what catch up processes will be in place. Another example of this was seen when Cllr Peter Wheeler asked about the impact of the pandemic on cancer diagnosis referrals and the two-week referral pathway. Many residents have been failed by historic Tory neglect of our public health institutions, meaning a crisis as Covid-19 struck at a time when they were already under intolerable pressure.

The impact of Covid-19 has been felt most by vulnerable patients, something Labour councillors are aware of and are keen to understand. Cllr Kate Cernik asked about the impact on the most vulnerable, with Cllr Steve Collings praising the NHS Cheshire & Wirral partnership 24 hour mental health helpline and asking, “The 24-hour mental health helpline was introduced at speed. What has been the impact of this initiative and will it continue in some form?”. Services like this delivered by a Labour-led Council make a positive difference to the lives of residents in the borough.