New meeting set over fertility services at Hartlepool hospital

A Health Scrutiny Joint Committee meeting made up of Hartlepool, Stockton and Durham councils, will take place on Tuesday, March 15, at Hartlepool Civic Centre at 10am.

It comes after a public outcry at an announcement by North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust to cease the provision of licensed fertility treatments from the University Hospital of Hartlepool.

The hospital trust requested a meeting of the committee be held on the issue saying the proposed changes also affect people from the Stockton and Durham areas.

It follows two meetings of Hartlepool council’s Audit and Governance Committee on the fertility issue.

Nobody from the hospital trust other than a legal representative attended the first on February 5.

Medical director David Emerton attended a reconvened meeting of the committee on February 26 but declined to answer specific questions.

In papers released yesterday for next Tuesday’s joint health scrutiny committee, scrutiny manager Joan Stevens said: “The meeting of the 5 February 2016 was adjourned and reconvened on the 26 February 2016 with a request from the foundation trust that a Joint Scrutiny Committee be convened, through which they would participate in a full and meaningful consultation on the decision.”

Evidence and information is due to be given by the trust and clinical commissioning group (CCG).