WARRINGTON Borough Council chief executive Steven Broomhead believes that ‘arrogant’ major reforms to the town’s health services are a ‘recipe for disaster’.

Mr Broomhead has written to Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, over his concerns around national sustainability and transformation plans that would bring a big shake-up to health services in towns like Warrington.

Writing in his role as the chair of the town’s health and wellbeing board, Mr Broomhead said that he was ‘astounded’ by the plans that are currently being drawn up by 44 regional NHS officials.

In the letter, he said: “I am told that the plans need no democratic input and are purely a matter for the NHS – if this is right I must say that I am astounded by NHS England’s naivety.

“Put bluntly, the NHS is a political construction – any changes to health services have significant local impact on the citizens my members were elected to represent.

“Changes to where people receive services, what services they receive locally and the impact of moving discrete services from a locality has on the ongoing sustainability of that local provision are fundamentally one for local scrutiny and for local community involvement.”

“I am totally convinced that changes are needed in the NHS to improve outcomes but I am astonished that changes to NHS services can be implemented overnight without any local transparency.”

Mr Broomhead added that the plans were ‘bound to fail’ and a ‘recipe for disaster’.

“Such arrogance is bound to fail – locally I have experienced changes to stroke and trauma services as well as primary care provision with no local discussion or consideration.

“I recognise that the sustainability and transformation plans are essential to enable the NHS to remain effective and improve outcomes for citizens.

“However the timescales for submission of plans are unrealistic and the assumption that changes to inevitable cuts to local services are solely the matter for the NHS are a recipe for disaster.”

Mr Broomhead also told the Warrington Guardian: “Health and social care is a partnership and I don’t see any evidence of partnership working in the government’s proposals.”