Shropshire NHS bosses asked: What does 'disinvestment' mean?
NHS bosses will be grilled after embarking on a "disinvestment policy" to deal with a financial crisis in healthcare in Shropshire.
The strategy – a codeword for cash cuts – comes as Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group finds itself £19 million in debt.
It has also described the new man in charge of the CCG as a"dedicated turnaround accountable officer".
Simon Freeman has been given the task of dealing with a "considerable financial challenge" in the CCG.
He and fellow NHS officials will be questioned by members of Shropshire Council in a meeting to establish where the cuts will be made.
Earlier this month it was reported that the CCG, which is in charge of NHS spending in the county excluding Telford & Wrekin, would need to find an extra £10.7 million of savings to meet targets laid down nationally.
The organisation has admitted that its plans to cut spending "have not delivered the required savings".
Shropshire Council's scrutiny committee has demanded an explanation of Shropshire CCG's current financial situation and how it intends to make the necessary savings.
It is also asking what will be cut to save money and how those measures have been identified.
The CCG will also be quizzed on how to it will explain its plans to the public, the council and the voluntary sector.
Speaking at a CCG meeting in September, Mr Freeman's predecessor David Evans warned the CCG would only be able to cut its spending if it can reduce the amount of people needing to attend hospital or GP surgeries.
He said that more preventative measures would need to be employed to stop people getting to the point where they require treatment.
While in charge of the organisation Mr Evans also rejected the idea that cuts in spending would lead to people in Shropshire receiving a lower standard of care than those living in Telford & Wrekin, which is governed by Telford & Wrekin CCG.
However, he accepted there may be differences between the two.
He said: "I think if you look at any two clinical commissioning groups in the country they would have different arrangement and different services. What is important is we commission the services for the different population needs of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin."
