CANCER surgery for some Cornish patients will be transferred out of county, in the face of massive opposition, at the end of a bitter battle over health services.

A ferocious meeting at County Hall saw one councillor walk out in disgust amid accusations against health authorities of "democratic thuggery".

The scrutiny committee, which met yesterday in Truro, decided after a passionate debate that the removal of upper gastro-intestinal (upper GI) cancer surgery to Plymouth could go ahead as it did not represent "a substantial change" to patients.

Campaigners said cancer patients in Cornwall had been "sold down the river" by the decision.

Health bosses, backed by Cornwall's leading surgeon in the field, say that a centre of excellence at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth will give better results for patients. The proposals sparked a similar row in Devon as the centre is also set to take patients currently being treated at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter.

Campaigners against the relocation of surgery said that the 32,000 people in Cornwall who signed a petition opposing the transfer had been ignored.

Furious councillors who oppose the move are concerned about the cost to families and friends of visiting patients in Plymouth and the effect this may have on people receiving treatment.

One councillor said he feared it was part of a move to eradicate clinical services at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (RCHT), a claim that was strongly refuted by health authority bosses.

The change will affect between 20 and 30 people a year in Cornwall who will have to stay at Derriford for 10 to 14 days for surgery from January 2010. All other pre- and post-operative care will be carried out at the Truro hospital.

At the start of the meeting of the Cornwall Council health and adult social care overview and scrutiny committee, members heard emotional statements from cancer patients in a packed public gallery pleading for councillors to acknowledge the change to services as substantial.

Independent councillor Armorel Carlyon, who is not a committee member, said: "We constantly hear from the health authority that they want to know what the public think. Can someone please tell me what the people of Cornwall have to do or say to make the point that they want to keep this service in Cornwall?"

The chairman of the meeting, Lib-Dem councillor Eric Parkin, responded by falsely accusing Coun Carlyon of not being present from the beginning of the meeting and said that she did not understand the issues involved, at which point Coun Carlyon walked out.

After the meeting, Coun Parkin said he would apologise to Coun Carlyon.

Conservative councillor Jim Currie said: "The truth is that it's a one-way street with all the services in Cornwall going across the Tamar in one direction. We are one-third of Devon and Cornwall but any time a decision is made, it always goes to Devon. It's nothing other than democratic thuggery."

Independent councillor Neil Burden said transferring services to Derriford was part of a gradual erosion of clinical services in Cornwall. "If you keep on saying that's not substantial and this is not substantial, then lots of other services will be eroded and Treliske is at great risk of becoming a sub-clinical hospital."

Coun Burden's claim was strongly refuted by Ann James, chief executive of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust. She said: "There is no intention to reduce RCHT to a sub-clinical centre. There is a clear commitment from the PCT to ensure people in Cornwall have access to services as locally as possible and centralised when absolutely necessary."

Mrs James said that cash would be available to families in need of financial assistance to visit patients in Plymouth.

Lib-Dem councillor Mike Nicholls said: "There's consistent evidence from all around the world that the more operations a centre does, the better the outcomes are."

Paul Peyser, the consultant upper GI surgeon at RCHT, initially opposed the transfer of services but has now backed the move. He will still be based at Truro but will travel to Plymouth to carry out surgery. In a letter to the committee, he said: "Ultimately, I think working in a single centre is the most sustainable way forward."

The motion, which stated that the transfer of services did not represent a substantial change, was carried by eight votes to six with one abstention.

Other overview and scrutiny committees for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay had already agreed to the changes.

A planned final meeting of the Isles of Scilly overview and scrutiny committee was planned for last night but was put off to an undetermined future date as not enough members attended due to illness and transport problems.

After the meeting in Truro, Rose Woodward, of Cornwall Local Involvement Network, said: "I was absolutely appalled at the contempt paid to the patient voice in the chamber. Cancer patients have been sold down the river."