We have received a letter from the Chief Executive of the Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust about the consultation period on its Mental Health Proposals. In a nutshell, the consultation period has been extended by three weeks until the 14th July. The Trust's Board will be meeting on 27th June to discuss a request from the Gloucestershire County Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee to further extend the period to a full 12 weeks (ie until 11th August). The text of the letter is as follows:
Dear Colleague
Consultation on Changes to Mental Health Services
I am writing to let you know about developments relating to the period of consultation. There has been a great deal of discussion in the consultation process about the length of the consultation. There has also been a discussion at the meeting of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) on 14th June. I thought you would welcome a statement from the Trust on these issues.
In preparing the arrangements for consultation the Trust discussed with the OSC whether it was possible to agree a shorter than usual period of consultation. We recognise that there is a great deal of value in the consultation process. It is enormously valuable to hear people's views and responses. It is also really helpful to receive alternative proposals and comments on the criteria for decision making. This is why we usually follow the Cabinet Office guideline that consultation should not be shorter than 12 weeks. However, in the current circumstances the pressure to begin to reshape services and restore financial balance is very considerable.
When the issue of the consultation timescale was considered by the OSC on 11th May, the Trust put forward a consultation proposal that described the range of activities and contacts we planned to make over the proposed 5 week period. The commitment I gave personally was that we would schedule as much public activity in that time as we would normally expect to schedule in a 12 week period and that is what we have done. The OSC accepted these proposals and voted to accept the 5 week consultation period.
At its meeting on 14th June, the OSC discussed concerns that had been raised about the length of the consultation period. On the basis of these concerns the members voted in favour of requesting the Trust to extend the consultation period to 12 weeks, that is from 22nd May to 11th August 2006. The Chairman of the OSC, County Councillor Andrew Gravells, has written to me confirming that request. I have written to Andrew today confirming that we will arrange an additional Board meeting as soon as we can, and as soon as the majority of our Board members would be available to attend. This is likely to happen on 27th June.
In responding to Andrew Gravells I have confirmed the proposal that the Trust had made to the OSC to extend the consultation period to 14th July. We volunteered this suggestion because we acknowledge that there was an unintended delay in sending copies of our consultation document to Parish and Town Councils. This was a regrettable oversight and I am sorry that this has added to concerns felt by members of Parish and Town Councils.
This extension to the consultation period to 14th July is not intended in any way to pre-empt the decision that the Trust Board has to make when it meets. It is intended to restore the same period of consultation to Parish and Town Councils that we had originally agreed with the OSC on 11th May.
I will write to you again following the Board meeting to confirm the outcome of our discussions and the closure date of the consultation.
Yours sincerely
JEFF JAMES
Chief Executive