The Meres

The Meres Division elects one Councillor.

Candidates:
Division Name Party Survey
The Meres BUSHELL, Julie Marion LD (Did not respond)
The Meres FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn  
The Meres MANNERS, Patrick James Ind (Did not respond)
The Meres WILLIAMS, Brian Beckett Con (Did not respond)
1. Will you support sufficient funding to enable all Shropshire’s Public Health programmes to continue, and to allow the development and implementation of new programmes to improve the health of Shropshire people?

Name Party Q1
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment1
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn I think it is key to the health of a community to be able to access services that meet their needs quickly and effectively. There is no point moving essential services to areas that are out of reach for many people particularly vulnerable individuals that then have to rely on scant and/or expensive public transport services or the goodwill of other people. It’s unfair and a blatant disregard for the citizens of Shropshire.
2. Will you support sufficient funding for health visiting in Shropshire to ensure the full implementation of NHS England’s recommended model: ‘The universal health visitor reviews’ – five mandated reviews?

Name Party Q2
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment2
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn I believe as part of a holistic and person centred approach to healthcare, Health Visitors proved an essential service for vulnerable people and in an Authority that chooses to deny many of it’s citizens access to affordable and reliable transport, funding MUST be made available for Health Visitor services.
3. Will you support Shropshire Council commissioning and subsidising public transport sufficient to enable all patients without their own transport to access health services reliably?

Name Party Q3
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment3
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Of course i would – I don’t believe, however, this is something Shrophire Council, in it’s present administration, will do.
4. Will you support the funding of Healthwatch at a level sufficient to fully exercise its statutory role, and do you agree that it should be able to determine its own programmes of work independent of any Council veto?

Name Party Q4
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment4
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn I don’t know enough about this policy to comment at this time.
5. Do you agree that the Health and Wellbeing Board should only apply the Better Care Fund on programmes that will improve health and wellbeing, rather than transferring the cost of provision from the NHS to the Council, voluntary organisations, and individual patients?

Name Party Q5
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment5
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Ideally. My understanding is that was what this fund was for. The NHS and Social Services need to be accountable for the money we pay, in our taxes, towards health insurance, no matter how this budget is divided up and rebranded.
6. Will you vote against endorsement of the current Shropshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) in which Shropshire Council is a partner?

Name Party Q6
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment6
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Many of the ideas outlined in the SATH document are good and look to deliver universal services which, as someone who works in Social Care, I have believed for a very long time should happen. That said, there is an underlying tone throughout this document that places reactivity as a solution to proactive, preventative health and social care measures – as is usual with public services, treat the symptoms but fail to identify the cause. Much of the document details conversations and solutions that have been common knowledge among health and social care professionals for several years now so to me, nothing seems innovative, creative or, to be quite frank, realistic. Certainly not under the budget restrictions presently enforced by the current centralised government. I would question where the right level of funding would come from? Given the tense history between relevant agencies, how are the “champions” going to promote engagement from all stakeholders in a timely manner? And lastly, present moves to shift health and social care environments to specific areas within Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin plus the privatisation of Shropshire’s Social Services (Call it what you may – People 2 People are a private organisation), The commissioning plan for Shropshire Council seems to be at odds to the outcomes detailed in the STP. Simply asked, how can this plan work?
7. Will you vote against endorsement of future versions of the STP if it does not meet the following red lines: (a) no reduction of provision or access to in-County secondary care, including emergency care; (b) no reduction of hospital beds in either RSH or PRH unless bed occupancy rates have been running at 85% consistently for 12 months; (c) no reduction in acute/secondary care services that are being transferred to the community without high quality evidence based community provision being in place, fully operational, and proven to be successful; (d) no reduction in beds and service provision at our community hospitals; (e) a real increase in community mental health provision; (f) the continued provision of accessible Midwife-Led Maternity Units, in line with national guidance and with no reduction in current services; (g) a real improvement in ambulance provision to ensure NHS England target response times can be met across the County; (h) no increase in the fragmentation or privatisation of services?
Name Party Q7
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment7
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn See answer above.
8. If a member of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee, or the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, will you ensure that there is full public consultation on any proposed changes to NHS service that might negatively impact any patients, and if such proposals are subsequently agreed by the relevant NHS body, will you vote to refer the proposals to the Secretary of State for Health?

Name Party Q8
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment8
FERRI, Carlo Umberto Grn Absolutely – This is one of my key stances in these Local Elections. I want to see communities all across Shropshire much more engaged in decision making and want to make this one of my key policies.