Council bosses say NHS cuts will cost Stoke-on-Trent taxpayers and vulnerable residents millions of pounds.

NHS organisations in Staffordshire are planning to make £306 million of savings this year in order to meet nationally-set targets.

But senior managers and elected members at Stoke-on-Trent City Council have hit out at the proposals, saying Potteries residents will lose vital support.

And they also believe that some of the cuts will simply 'shunt' costs onto the council, self-funders and even other parts of the NHS.

Bosses at Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) insist they are committed to maintaining service quality, and believe that some changes will lead to better outcomes for patients.

Members of the city councils adults' and children's scrutiny committees grilled NHS officials on the savings proposals during a special joint session.

Peter Tomlin, director of adult social care, explained why the city council, along with Staffordshire County Council, had voted against the proposals at a recent ICB board meeting – the operational plan was nevertheless approved by a majority of board members.

Mr Tomlin acknowledged that the ICB's savings target, the second biggest in the country and representing nine per cent of NHS spending in Staffordshire, would be 'incredibly difficult' to achieve.

He said: "I think we have to recognise that this affects every member of staff, from the chief executive to frontline staff. But the guidance is clear that these reductions should not be seen as a directive to reduce funding for direct services to residents. Our concern is that some aspects of these savings are exactly that."

One of the council's key concerns relates to cuts to continuing healthcare (CHC), which it fears will place additional costs on social care. Mr Tomlin said that in a 'worst case scenario' it would cost the council an extra £7 million, with a £4 million impact on self-funders.

He added: "The concern is also that if these costs are not met, there will be further admissions to hospital, so it will be self-defeating in that sense."

Elizabeth Disney, chief transformation officer at the ICB, said she recognised the concerns over particular parts of the operational plan, but insisted that it also contained many proposals to improve services and deliver better outcomes for patients, such as through 'less restrictive' care.

"In relation to CHC, Ms Disney said that Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent is a 'significant outlier', with the ICB spending 'well above' the national average.

She said: "What we've seen is that by reviewing individual circumstances, applying the CHC framework in the way it probably should always have been applied, we're finding that there is opportunity to manage people's care in a different way. In some cases that means they won't be eligible for CHC-funded care.

"There's a conversation to be had there on how we work together as a group of partners so people's needs are met and wherever possible we minimise moving costs around the system. But it's very clear in the framework what the NHS has to fund."

Another major concern for the council is the ICB's decision to end the use of private providers for adults' ADHD assessments.

The ICB's reasoning is that because some of these assessments have to be re-done once a patient returns to the NHS for treatment, it is not a good use of taxpayers' money.

Councillor Daniela Santoro said she was 'angry' at the decision, which she believes will mean longer waits for patients.

She said: "The reason people use those private providers is because there's a two-year wait for an ADHD assessment. So how are you going to mitigate that? If there's currently a two-year wait and you're getting rid of private contracts, will that not increase the wait times for people who need an ADHD assessment so their employer or college can make reasonable adjustments, or so they're not self-medicating, or they're not hitting their GP because they don't know what's wrong with them?

"These people languish without a diagnosis. They can't engage with their families. Relationships break down. It puts a burden on the taxpayer and the local authority."

Ms Disney admitted that waiting times across the country are too long and there was a risk that 'waits could get longer' as a result of the ICB's decision. But she explained that the waiting lists would be clinically assessed to ensure those most in need would get an assessment sooner. Further support could also be provided via GPs.

Other committee members pointed out that private ADHD assessments would be done to NHS standards, and questioned why they would need to be re-done

The committee voted to support plans for the city council to carry out its own impact assessment on the ICB's savings plan. Ms Disney said the ICB was committed to transparency and would co-operate with this review.