Health campaigners have called for crunch talks to resolve a long-running row over a lack of scrutiny they claim could potentially put patients’ lives at risk.

The campaigners claim Merton Council acted illegally by forcing them out from their posts as a steering group for Merton’s Local Involvement Network (Link), the watchdog for local health and social care services.

Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond recently met with the campaigners and said he would demand answers from the chief executive, Ged Curran, as to why the Link was being run without a steering group, flying in the face of legal guidelines to promote independent scrutiny.

Merton Voluntary Service Council (MVSC), which works on behalf of the borough’s voluntary sector, is Merton Link’s host organisation and has argued its own committees could do the steering group’s work instead.

Former nurse Leslie Robertson, on behalf of the campaigners, said: “We don’t want health and social care disasters in Merton.

“The deaths in Mid Staffs Hospital and abuses in nursing homes were partly caused by the failure of Links to monitor services effectively.

“The host in Merton has failed completely to support Link members and obstructed our attempts to build an effective local Link. Then, when we complained, they unlawfully dismissed us.

“Already £369k has been wasted on the host and the council is still supporting this failed organisation”.

An investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman, the council’s finance watchdog, said Merton Council had failed to properly monitor its contract with MVSC.

The Link will be replaced with a new body on April 1, 2013 – Healthwatch – that will also provide a complaints service for unhappy health service users.

Mrs Robertson added: “Services in south-west London are under threat and Healthwatch must be able to defend services for local people and help build better services.”

Mr Hammond said: “The ombudsman report did raise unanswered questions about how Merton was allowing people to involve themselves in the scrutiny of health provision.

“I think this matter will be best sorted out if we have a meeting between the chief executive and Link.”

The council's cabinet member for adult social care and health, Councillor Linda Kirby, said: "We completely support the need for an effective Healthwatch for Merton to ensure the borough’s health and social care services continue to meet the needs of residents.

"There is a LINK steering group in Merton who continue to provide a voice for patients and users of health and social care.

"The contract with MVSC has been extended because the Council is happy with the performance of MVSC as the host of the LINk.

"The LINk will be replaced by Healthwatch with consultations currently in place on what model would be most appropriate for Merton."

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