North West Friends of Homeopathy

A response to the Professional Executive Committee’s Homeopathy paper dated 18 January 2011 as presented to the ‘Public Meeting’ called by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) for 9 March 2010.

This meeting was announced to the ‘Public’ at one day’s notice on their website and notified to the North West Friends’ of Homeopathy (NWFH) a week earlier in a letter dated 2 March 2011 from Mr Martin McEwan (Director of Communications and Engagement NHS Wirral). The letter reads (para 1) “You will be aware that NHS Wirral is considering a recommendation from its Professional and Executive Committee (PEC) that it does not commission homeopathic therapies from 1 April 2011″ (ie in under one month from that date), notwithstanding the existence of the very long established front line service through Liverpool PCT from Old Swan Liverpool and its outreach clinic at St Catherine’s Birkenhead. The opening words ‘you will be aware…’ refers to a letter 3 days before (dated 28 February) starting “You may be aware that NHS Wirral is considering a recommendation from its Professional and Executive Committee (PEC) that it does not commission homeopathic therapies from 1 April 2011″ specifying that a ‘public meeting’ would take place but that the date had not been decided upon.

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We have been advised of a public meeting on Wednesday 9th March 2011 at 6.30pm, called by NHS Wirral (the Primary Care Trust) to discuss a recommendation made by their Professional Executive Committee (PEC) to discontinue Homeopathic Services for Wirral Residents with effect from 1st April 2011.

We have made our views known of course, in no uncertain terms, that we regard the length of notice of the meeting (6 days) in respect of a ‘decision’ (effective in under a month) completely outside the decision-making remit of the PCT. Nonetheless we are proposing to attend the meeting to make this point in public.

Please do your utmost to attend and encourage other Wirral Residents to attend. I am also sending this out to all NWFH supporters via email because the Old Swan based service (and its outreach service in St Catherine’s Birkenhead) does depend financially on funding from the surrounding regions and, even if you are outside the Wirral area, if you can get there that would be most helpful.

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Many thanks for all your continuing support and the many messages we have received since our meeting in the Bedford Road Community Centre on 3rd March 2010.

Please note we have arranged, through Councillor Paul Larkin, a further meeting at Bedford Rd Community Centre on Friday 16th April 2010 at 7.30 pm. (not 31st March as pencilled in at our last meeting). This is to enable us hopefully to have a larger room and not start too late in the evening. Also it will enable us to be better informed about the latest position with the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

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The Sefton Primary Care Trust have stopped Sefton residents accessing the established NHS Homeopathy Service available at Old Swan Health Centre.

A public meeting has been arranged for Wednesday, 3rd March 2010 at 7pm in the Bedford Road Community Centre, Bootle to underline the lack of proper consultation when this decision was made. This has created a Post Code lottery – against government policy – regarding access to homeopathy treatment in the Merseyside area.

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