Agenda Item No. 6c Mrs Margaret Whitehead Chairman County Hall Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee West Street Chichester e-mail address: West Sussex [email protected] PO19 1RQ
website: www.westsussex.gov.uk
16 October 2013
Dr Dan Poulter MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health Department of Health Richmond House 79 Whitehall LONDON SW1A 2NS
Dear Mr Poulter
NHS Property Services
Thank you for your letter of 23 April 2013, Ref PO00000770647 regarding NHS Property Services Limited. I am somewhat disappointed that you didn’t respond to the specific issues I raised in my original letter to Jeremy Hunt of 20 March 2013, and particularly the concerns of the West Sussex Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee (HASC) regarding the need for NHS Property Services to have a local face and for it to work with local interest groups and organisations to explore new and innovative ways of providing local health and social care services. We are particularly concerned that the costs of renting NHS Property might prohibit the development of services that meet key local needs.
HASC is currently scrutinising proposals for service change relating to NHS short breaks services for children with complex health needs and disabilities, and we are very concerned that it may prove impossible to sustain services currently provided at the Cherries in Chichester. Whilst we understand that there is a need to change these services, we are worried that options for the future may be hampered by the costs of renting the unit in Chichester.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Margaret Whitehead Chairman, Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee
c.c. Sir Peter Bottomley, MP Mr Nick Gibb, MP The Right Honourable Nick Herbert, MP Mr Tim Loughton, MP The Right Honourable Francis Maude, MP The Right Honourable Nicholas Soames, MP Mr Andrew Tyrie, MP Mr Henry Smith, MP Louise Goldsmith (Leader, West Sussex County Council and Chairman, Health and Wellbeing Board) Amanda Fadero, Surrey and Sussex Area Team (NHS England)