STILL UNHEALTHY

Excellent Care Trust & Health Scrutiny Commission meeting tonight. Well attended by members of the public and lots of media interest - about 100 there in total. MP also there. Health Trust CX given a fair grilling by councillors and public, but in the main got us not very far - some movement on mental health bed closures. One Tory councillor calling for Trust CX's head, but the Tory commission members had agreed beforehand not to personalise the meeting. The CX gave a fair account of himself, but we have heard it all before. I asked about the sustainability of the financial recovery plan, whether we can trust them to deliver financial balance, the safety of our future health services, future accountability of health to the IW public, absence of delivery alternatives in the recovery plan, and the position of staff threatened with losing their posts. Lots of re-assuring words, which I will remind them of at a later stage if necessary. Leader of Council undertook to deliver a Patient Travel Scheme within lifetime of this Council. My 17.5 year old son observed from the gallery and was unimpressed with his first experience of a public engagement with local government and our health services.