CONTROVERSIAL plans to transfer specialist cancer services from Cornwall to Plymouth could be suspended at the 11th hour after an astonishing U-turn, writes the WMN's Lyn Barton.

Cornwall Council has confirmed it will hold an emergency meeting to examine the move of Upper Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancer services out of the county. Ultimately, the hotly debated proposals could be made the subject of a public consultation or referred to Health Secretary Andy Burnham.

He is already fielding a request from Devon councillors to look at aspects of the transfer of their Upper GI cancer service from Exeter to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

Health bosses, who have long cited expert medical opinion that a centralised service would give more patients a better chance of living longer, insisted the implementation was on course.

However, campaigners who gathered a 32,000-name petition against it were delighted.

Graham Webster, vice-chairman of Health Initiative for Cornwall, said: "I sense a sea change in what is happening and that common sense is starting to prevail.

"This is good news that there is going to be a rethink, not only in Devon but now in Cornwall."

Attempts to have the powerful overview and scrutiny committee (OSC) come back to the table over the issue had floundered, despite concerted efforts a number of times this year.

But chairman Coun Joan Symons confirmed to the Western Morning News that members would now be called together for the extraordinary meeting ahead of the scheduled transfer on January 1.

Members will re-examine the case for removing services for the complex cancer which affects between 20 and 30 people in the county a year away from the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, Truro.

In April, under a previous administration, the OSC decided the change was not "substantial" and therefore no public inquiry was warranted.

Instead, NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, the primary care trust (PCT) which holds the purse strings, undertook a "public engagement" process.

However, new and intriguing evidence has since emerged which was not presented to the OSC in April.

Last month, the Western Morning News exclusively revealed the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust was warned the changes were so substantial that not holding a public consultation may be "unlawful".

Bosses at the PCT later released their own legal advice which dismissed these claims and supported their actions.

Coun Symons said concerns over the newly published legal advice and the actions of their counterparts in Devon had driven the need for a fresh look. "If members so wish, they can refer the whole thing to the Secretary of State," she said.

Without prejudging the meeting, Coun Symons said she believed it was the most probable outcome. "I am expecting the committee to move that way," she said.

Coun Mario Fonk, a member of the OSC, said he would be calling for a full public inquiry or for the Health Secretary to intervene. "My feeling is that we should improve services at Truro rather than make people who are already very ill travel all the way to Plymouth," he said.

The controversy has exasperated health chiefs at county and regional level who have reiterated the move is all about improving outcomes for seriously ill cancer patients.

An independent clinical review in February this year by two of the country's leading Upper GI surgeons backed the move saying it should take place "as soon as is practicable".

PCT chief executive Ann James said the clinical case for change was beyond question. "Implementation plans are on schedule and we remain focused on ensuring this service begins on January 1 next year to give patients the best chance of survival and cure from this rare but complicated condition," she said.

"Given this, we cannot imagine OSC members not supporting this move."

Dr Gabriel Scally, director of public health for the South West, said he could not understand why the opinions of experts in the field were being ignored.

"The clinical evidence has not changed and that makes clear that centralised services improve people's chances of surviving from cancer," he said. "The decision to move services was made because the evidence says it will save lives."

He said Devon OSC was not against the reconfiguration of services in principle. "I am concerned the best outcome for patients is getting lost in the debate."