THE appointment this week of a £90,000-a- year regional health authority communications director has enraged the Save the Royal Surrey Campaign, which believes the post has been created to "sell" cuts and closure plans. The controversial engagement by the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority of what is seen as a "spin doctor" comes at a time when the SHA is threatening to slash health services in Surrey, complained campaign chairman Professor Chris Mark. The SHA advertised the post in the run-up to Christmas and the matter was raised in a health debate in the Commons in December by Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert. He saw the role as being established for "propagandising" and delivering information to the Ministerial Briefing Unit. The Save the Royal Surrey Campaign this week said its communications advice to the authority comes free: "Local people don't need spin doctors, they need the real doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who are delivering high- quality healthcare in their local hospital." And Prof Marks complained: "The authority is currently claiming that its financial position is so precarious that it needs to cut services, and is considering closing hospitals including the Royal Surrey in Guildford. "£90,000 would pay for around 13 coronary bypasses, or more than 120 hernia operations." However, this assertion was repudiated by an SHA spokesman, who told The Herald that all the strategic health authorities were appointing communications directors and the salary level was nationally set. "It doesn't come out of money which is allocated by the government for each primary care trust. There is not actually a question of less happening on account of it. There is a funding formula," he said. A press release stated: "The NHS is publicly accountable and has a duty to engage effectively with its patients and their families, its staff and all its partner organisations." The position has gone to Stephanie Hood, who will take up the post at the beginning of March. Currently at the Department of Health, she has led communications for national consultations about patient choice and the NHS Plan, has worked in an acute NHS trust, with the pharmaceutical industry and for the NHS executive. l Possible hospital closures at The Royal Surrey, Milford and Haslemere are far and away the biggest worries of his constituents in South West Surrey, according to MP Jeremy Hunt. Last year the MP set out his "10 Ideas" for South West Surrey then launched a constituency-wide survey to find out which issues local people considered most important to them and their community. He received a considerable response to the survey – well over 6,000 - both by mail and through his website, and said he now plans to use the findings to determine his priorities for 2007. The results of the survey showed that 31 per cent of constituents think Mr Hunt's top priority should be fighting hospital closures, 20 per cent think it should be improving traffic management and 12 per cent believe that it should be fighting overdevelopment. He said: "The results of the survey are clear. People in south-west Surrey are most concerned about hospitals, traffic and overdevelopment - but with possible hospital closures at The Royal Surrey, Milford and Haslemere far and away the biggest worries. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond - I will certainly use your comments to guide my campaigning." Constituents agreed that NHS reductions would have a detrimental impact on healthcare in South West Surrey. 95 per cent said that it was vital to retain the A&E at The Royal Surrey, 83 per cent thought that the decision to close Milford Hospital would be detrimental to rehabilitation services and 84 per cent said that Haslemere was a vital community hospital and should be expanded.
