'Serious alarms' raised over future of Lutterworth hospital

One councillor has claimed there is “no clear plan” to deliver “vital resources” needed at the facility, after funding promises had been made but no cash had materialised.

Councillor Martin Sarfas raised the concerns over the future of Lutterworth’s Feilding Palmer Hospital, which is due to get funding for a refurbishment to allow it to cater for the area’s increased population. However, he claimed that that funding, which had been proposed by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB) as part of a recent consultation, had yet to materialise and could now be diverted away from the facility.

The Lutterworth East ward councillor claimed there was a “lack of a clear management plan” for the funding and refurbishment, and said “potential delays in securing vital resources” could be harmful for the community if the money was diverted elsewhere. However, the ICB, which provides local healthcare services, has denied it is taking money away from the hospital.

Councillor Sarfas said: “I am deeply concerned that there is no clear plan to deliver on the promises made during the consultation. It’s disheartening to see resources potentially diverted from Lutterworth. The community deserves better.”

In early 2024, the ICB undertook a public consultation about proposed improvements to the access of community health services in Lutterworth, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The results were discussed at an ICB meeting last October, during which plans for Feilding Palmer Hospital were approved.

The ICB agreed to keep Feilding Palmer Hospital open, refurbish it and expand the number of services available there, including providing approximately 17,000 appointments every year for diagnosis and out-patient services. This would reduce the need for people to travel further afield for treatment, which could save more than 200,000 miles travelled each year, the board said.

However, Cllr Sarfas claimed that recent meetings had revealed a “lack of transparency, with key representatives unable to provide details on essential management and financial plans”.

The independent councillor called for “immediate transparency and accountability” to ensure that the promised funding and services for Fielding Palmer Hospital were delivered without further delay. He said: “I will continue to fight for our hospital. The people of Lutterworth deserve the healthcare they were promised.”

The LDRS asked the ICB to specify what promises had been made about funding and services at Fielding Palmer Hospital, whether there was a management and financial plan in place to deliver the promised changes and whether resources were being diverted from Lutterworth.

The ICB said: “These plans were specifically designed to respond to the expected growth in demand for local services, as a result of the 2,700 new homes being built in the future, as well as improving support to people who need physical and mental health services.

“The intention set out in the Pre-Consultation Business Case was to secure the capital required for these improvements from the LLR System Capital Budget. This is still the case, but further work is required to develop a longer-term capital plan to make the proposals a reality.

“An outline management plan was included in the business case and a phased capital plan is available. The ICB continues to work with healthcare providers for services in Lutterworth and no resources have been diverted from there.”