Cuts to bus services are limiting people’s access to health services in Wirral.

That’s according to Cllr Moira McLaughlin, who gave an impassioned speech at a council health committee this week.

She bemoaned cuts in key services to Arrowe Park Hospital, which make it harder for people to get there from the west of the borough. One important move was the re-routing of the 22 service, diverting it away from Arrowe Park Hospital.

Passengers using the route, which runs from Chester to West Kirby, now have to change at Heswall to get to Arrowe Park Hospital.

Cllr McLaughlin said: “Public transport around the borough has been reduced significantly.

“It has been a constant issue raised in relation to provision of the urgent care centres and we haven’t had a satisfactory resolution to that.”

The Rock Ferry councillor wants Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to use any influence he has to stop further cuts.

Cllr McLaughlin said: “That is a city region issue. We’ve got notice again of a public consultation on transport [coming up] and it’s probably the case that there will be further cuts.

“It’s an issue in relation to social isolation, access to schools, access to libraries.

“It’s an issue for the borough and it is something that this whole council should be shouting [about] to the city region and the Metro Mayor.

“[We should be saying] ‘Sort this out’, because it’s a problem for us all.”

She asked the health spokespersons for all the parties on Wirral Council to write to Metro Mayor Rotheram to say “get a grip of what’s happening to bus services on the Wirral”.

Merseytravel coordinates public transport in the Liverpool City Region, but it does not run bus services. They are operated by private providers.

Therefore the Metro Mayor does not decide what happens to bus services.

He has launched a consultation on changes that would give the city region much more control of how bus services are operated.

A Merseytravel spokesperson said: “We understand that the issue [of transport] has been raised by councillors at the Adult Social Care Committee last night and that they and the Leader of the Council will be making representations shortly.

“We are currently in the first consultation stage of the Wirral bus network review, where we are asking bus users in the area to give us their thoughts on all bus services in the area via an online survey and drop-in events across the borough.

“We would encourage anyone who has anything to say on buses in the area to submit their comments via the consultation webpage – merseytravel.gov.uk/busreview – so they can help to inform any proposed changes.”

Other major issues with healthcare and transport provision were discussed at the meeting. Last year two of Wirral’s walk-in centres closed.

The borough now has just three of these facilities, which provide treatment for minor injuries and illnesses, after the centres at New Ferry and Moreton were abolished.

Labour councillor Christina Muspratt said this – combined with a lack of bus services – puts more pressure on Arrowe Park Hospital, which had its worst ever A&E waiting time figures last month.

Cllr Muspratt, who lives in Clatterbridge, said if one of her grandchildren bangs their head in the morning and needs stitches, she would have gone to the New Ferry walk-in centre before its closure. But she would now have no choice but to go to Arrowe Park Hospital.

Paula Cowan, chair of Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said there should only be medical reasons for people to go to Arrowe Park Hospital.

For Dr Cowan a lack of bus provision should not be a reason.

She added: “We have spoken about this before with the transport group. But it is incumbent upon us to work with transport providers to ensure people can access whatever service is appropriate for them.”