Speaker: Dr. Adrian Finter MBChB MFHom

Further details…

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.

The Professional Executive Committee (PEC) are charged with an obligation to ‘champion public involvement’ via:

• An obligation to their ‘Parent’ — the Primary Care Trust (PCT)
• The National Health Service (NHS) Act 2006
• World Class Commissioning Competencies (Department of Health)
• Wirral Compact
• Wirral LINk

The PEC have failed on each test to consult meaningfully. It is completely outside their own remit as a sub-committee to put for ratification, or otherwise, any recommendation that has been framed without due process. The Director of Communications & Engagement was only informed by PEC of the recommendation to cease, on 1 April 2011, in January 2011 after it had been finalised (without consultation) by the PEC.

What came out at the meeting in discussion — with the General Practiotioner shadow consortia heads present — was that the ‘process’ was triggered by a notice that the Liverpool service’s hosts were planning to withdraw. Whilst it is true that there may be some change in who is to host the service later in 2011/12 (currently Liverpool Community Health) nonetheless the Liverpool PCT have confirmed they are committed to continue to commission homeopathy and it is a question of reconfiguring the appropriate service provider structure, not a matter of withdrawing the service.

By contrast, Wirral PEC have made an opportunistic, ill-considered and inaccurate, attack on homeopathy itself rather than the actual body hosting it — despite the popularity of the service provided in the area by qualified doctors in integrating homeopathy with conventional medicine. The local area, for which Wirral PCT is responsible, is fortunate in having a pool of medical expertise in homeopathy which is not necessarily matched in all other areas of the country, as well as having a long established local front-line service that has been available since the inception of the NHS. The government has pledged its support for NHS front line services and so any suggestion that the recommendation to cut the service needs to be made for cost reasons cannot be substantiated.

Whilst Wirral PCT have a responsibility for local commissioning recommendations, they are still subject to bring into account — in framing their recommendations — the guidelines issued by the NHS in respect of how they go about that process. As regards complementary therapies (including homeopathy), these are succinctly summarised on the NHS Website dealing with NHS supported career roles. The PEC, in framing their recommendation on behalf of the PCT and the shadow GP consortia, have taken no account, in their report, of the availability of local expertise or indeed even consulted the doctors who have specialised in homeopathy in the area when framing their recommendations — notwithstanding the NHS guidance.

In particular the guidance clearly sets out that:

“The safety, clinical, cost-effectiveness and availability of suitably qualified/regulated practitioners are all issues that they should take into account.”

Given the Liverpool PCT’s commitment to the homeopathy service, what emerges now following the Public Meeting is that:

• Any excuse by Wirral PCT for calling for a withdrawal of homeopathy triggered for hosting reasons has evaporated;
• The recommendation for the termination of the service on 1st April 2011 (or indeed at all) should therefore be withdrawn forthwith;
• The PCT should seriously investigate the manner in which their Sub-Committee (PEC) has gone about its business.

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.

Meeting Location

NHS Wirral
Old Market House
Hamilton Street
Birkenhead
Wirral CH41 5AL

The meeting will not exceed 1.5 hours. Hamilton Street is not far to walk from Birkenhead Hamilton Square Rail Station. There is a link to a map on the About NHS Wirral page.

There are detailed papers relating to the recommendation of the Wirral PEC to be found on NHS Wirral’s consultations page. Click on the link to view the Homeopathy Commissioning paper.

Of course again we fundamentally disagree with the contents and the conclusions reached and will be saying so at the meeting.

Online & Telephone Responses

The PCT are seeking email responses to this recommendation on the same consultations page.

If you are a Wirral resident — whether or not you are attending the meeting — please also complete this by clicking on the “have your say” form by Friday 11th March (2 days after the meeting). We suggest, in your own words, that you put something like:

I am devastated to hear that Wirral Professional Executive Committee have recommended to discontinue the effective and popular homeopathy service in less than a month without first consulting patients. The NHS requires consultation to take place at the very beginning of a process of service reconfiguration — not at the end.

Please then tick the bullet point for ‘complaint’.

Of course add anything else you want. If you prefer, you can also phone in a comment on Freephone 0800 085 1547.

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The Department of Homeopathic Medicine
Old Swan Health Centre,
St Oswalds Street,
Liverpool,
L13 2GA
Telephone: 0151 285 3707
Fax: 0151 285 3755

Contact Points

• Medical Secretary
• Clinic Manager
• Receptionist

Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann: the founder of homeopathy

• A medical approach which helps the body to heal itself.
• A homeopathic consultation focuses on the whole person and is, therefore, unique.
• Homeopathy works on the principle of ‘like cures like’.
• A medical doctor, trained in homeopathy, will also have the knowledge of allopathic (conventional) treatments and will, consequently, know how best to help you.

Five Reasons To Choose Homeopathy

(Extract from the British Association of Homeopathy (BHA) booklet)

1. You will be treated as a whole person – emotional and environmental factors also affect your well-being.
2. Homeopathy tackles the cause of ill health rather than supressing symptoms.
3. Homeopathic medicines are not addictive and have no dangerous side-effects.
4. Homeopathy is often successful where other treatments have failed and can help reduce your need to take conventional medicines.
5. People often say that homeopathic treatment has made them feel better in themselves.

Homeopathy – Safe, Gentle, Effective!

For further explanations of how homeopathy works, please visit the BHA web site.

Chairman
John Cook,
Kingsmead,
Upton Road,
Birkenhead,
Wirral
CH43 7QQ

Secretary
Fiona Mather,
26, Lisburn Road,
Aigburth,
Liverpool L17 0BT
Tel: 0151 727 8118

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Saturday, 24th September 2011

1:45pm – 4:15pm
Britannia Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool

The Nature of Dis-ease and the Homeopathic Approach

Speaker: Dr. Adrian Finter MBChB MFHom

The afternoon will begin with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 1pm and members of the public are invited to attend. The meeting will be followed, at 1.45pm, with the Annual Seminar.

The Weleda Medicine Shop will be offering reduced prices on a range of products and there will also be a British Homeopathic Association bookstall on site.

Tickets

• Members: £5
• Visitors: £7

Tickets may be obtained on the door or by application to:

Email: enquiries@nwfriends.org.uk

Travelling to the Britannia Adelphi Hotel

• Map
• Driving directions