A HEALTH campaigner has slammed radical new plans to boost people’s health in East Lancashire as ‘privatisation through the back door’.

East Lancashire’s patients’ champion Russ McLean said he was concerned the blueprint would lead to ‘privatisation and rationing of health and care services.’

Health bosses from Pennine Lancashire, who published the blueprint, said the proposals aim to improve residents wellbeing.

Among the key pledges in the blueprint called ‘Together a Healthier Future’ are plans to improve A&E performance against national targets and a promise to ‘strengthen free leisure opportunities’ and promote healthy food choices.

But plans to create a shadow ‘Accountable Care Partnership’ from April 1 next year, which would represent all health and care organisations, along with councils and voluntary, community and faith-sector services, have attracted criticism.

It would see organisations working together to ‘achieve the best health and well being out outcomes for the population’, and ‘make a positive difference’ to people’s lives.

But Mr McLean said the plans would lead to ‘less money’ on health services for people in East Lancashire.

He said: “My biggest worry is there is no parity of esteem in health funding for East Lancashire and the North compared to the South.

“I fear these plans will mean even less money, more centralisation, rationing of health services and privatisation through the back door.

“I feel they could achieve the opposite outcome to what’s been proposed and make it more difficult for residents to stay healthy and access health services.”

Graham Burgess, chairman of the Pennine Lancashire Accountable Health and Care Partnership said health and care services face a 'double whammy of financial challenges and historic poor health'.  

He said: “Health and care organisations across Pennine Lancashire (Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire) have agreed to establish a shadow Accountable Care Partnership from April 2018. 

"This means that all health and care organisations will begin the process of working as a “single system” focused on achieving the best health and wellbeing outcomes for our population and making a positive difference to people’s lives. 

"We face a double whammy of financial challenges and historic poor health. 

"Services are experiencing unprecedented high demand.

"By working together collectively we can respond to these challenges better and more efficiently.  

"Increasingly people tell us that organisations create barriers for people who use services and they would rather we put the patient first and work together to reduce those barriers. 

"This is exactly why we are working together.

"It means we can ensure the best services possible are delivered for local people. 

"We have been engaging with the public over the last year to seek their views and ideas about how we can do this and this engagement continues. 

"We have made our plans and the detail available  at http://togetherahealthierfuture.org.uk/  and we are seeking people’s views on those plans. 

"We welcome scrutiny and are keen to hear people’s views. 

"The NHS is a much used, and treasured institution and as such will always remain free at the point of use.   

"However we are stronger and more effective collectively, working with patients and the public -  which is why we call our work “Together a healthier future”.