Health service changes need a reality check to make sure services are fit for the 21st century says the South East England Regional Assembly.

A full Assembly meeting this week called on NHS managers to strike a better balance between central funding decisions and people's desire for local, personalised services.

In a wide ranging debate, Assembly members supported the ambition of health managers to develop services to meet the needs of an ageing population but they recounted a very different picture on the ground. They raised concerns about uncertainty created by current NHS reforms; the importance of high quality mental health services; and an increasing reliance on the voluntary sector to fill gaps.

Members discussed a possible role for local authorities in helping to direct NHS spending to meet local needs and priorities.

There is also a role for public and private sector employers in helping improve the health of employees as South East workers take more time off sick than anyone else in the country - despite the region being one of country's healthiest.

Assembly Chairman Cllr Keith Mitchell said:

"Ensuring everyone has access to good quality health services is crucial. We need to make sure health services can provide the support and locally-based services that everyone needs to be able to benefit fully from the good quality of life that the South East region can offer."

Following the main debate, Leader of Gosport Council, Cllr Peter Langdon, won members' support for his local campaign calling for a review of proposals to close the town's Royal Hospital Haslar - a military hospital that also treats thousands of local residents each year.

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. The full meeting of the South East England Regional Assembly was held on Wednesday 15 November at the Sofitel Hotel, Gatwick.
2. Latest figures showed 3.3% of employees taking sick leave in the South East, compared to 2.7% in the North East.
3. The South East England Regional Assembly is a regional partnership with 112 members representing local authorities as well as social, environmental and business sectors.
4. The Assembly was established by South East local government in January 1999 to provide a representative voice for the region, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
5. Assembly members include elected councillors from the region's 74 local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations) as well as the New Forest National Park Authority.
6. The Assembly has four key roles:
1. Advocacy
   Pressing the South East's interests in London and Brussels.
2. Accountability
   Scrutinising the plans and performance of regional bodies such as SEEDA to align the region's priorities.
3. Regional planning
   Preparing and delivering the South East Plan - the 20-year statutory plan for the region that sets the framework for the sustainable development of the South East.
4. Regional policy
   Advising Government on the co-ordination of regional strategies and spending priorities for housing, transport, planning and economic development to improve the impact of public expenditure.

Our vision is for a distinctive, outward-looking, accessible region of prosperous, sustainable communities, with a high quality of life and environment.

Last updated: 21 August 2007