COLUMN: Health Matters
A total of almost 3,500 signatures were collected and presented at the full meeting of the Central Bedfordshire Council with a request that the council escalate discussions for better healthcare provision in our town with the Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.
A big thank you goes out to all the residents who signed our petition over the summer months.
Our Health Matters! summer campaign with your support, has moved the towns health challenges from a fringe topic to a central discussion by the CBC Executive who are now being more challenging with the BLMK ICB on its continued delays to the towns outline business case; the urgent need to start meaningful dialogue with our new MP on issues like the sale of land on Vandyke Road and the importance of any decision to allocate the £10m ear marked from the capital budget for healthcare facilities in Central Bedfordshire and the vital difference these funds could make to delivering enhanced health services, in places like Leighton Buzzard.
Earlier this month we started direct conversations with representatives of the Health Board but we are at a very early stage, so we currently have more questions to ask than answers and the recently published Darzi report that confirmed every concern expressed by the town regarding Primary care and the recent Budget have yet to be factored into future decisions.
Our aims for the Winter will be more engagement and seeking to obtain answers from our ICB and local MP and to give feedback to residents.
We are planning more public events so please email [email protected] to ask questions or raise concerns. We would like to arrange another public event in future months (and we would especially like to hear from Clipstone residents).
If you have not already signed our petition we have moved to an online version for the winter months. Why not join our Facebook page “Leighton Linslade Health Matters” the link for the petition can be found on there.