Democratic experiment falters

A YEAR after University College London Hospital in Bloomsbury became one of the first foundation trusts in the country, an experiment in local democratic control has failed to capture the public’s imagination.
Fewer than one in 1,000 residents of Camden, Islington and Westminster have registered to vote for a representative on the trust’s ruling members’ council.
Of the 465,000 residents in the three boroughs eligible to register for a vote, just 454 have done so.
And just 15 turned up to an election hustings at the hospital on Tuesday.
The members’ council elected by residents, patients, staff and carers has the power to appoint the chairman of the hospital board and vet the selection of chief executive. The idea was that residents, staff and patients would be allowed to “own” their hospital.
At the hustings on Tuesday, candidates standing for the 33-place members’ council, voiced concern that there was not enough public participation. Solicitor Alberto Costa said: “I don’t think 15 people showing up for a meeting is good enough – something like 100 would have been more encouraging. We need to be publicising our work and get out there and knock on doors.”
Campaigner Albert Beale, another candidate, added: “The concern is that at a specialist hospital like UCLH, which treats people from all over Britain, local residents may lose out if the focus is placed too heavily on specialist care. It is important to find the right balance.”
Four candidates were elected unopposed to represent staff and patients at a regional and national level. A further nine are contesting a seat to represent local patients. The fate of the 27 further seats will be decided over the next three years. The ballot closes on August 12.
Trust chairman Peter Dixon said: “During the next year, we hope to double the current numbers of local patients and residents, to create a membership that is truly reflective of the diverse local communities that we serve.”