Public opinion was sought by healthcare professionals on a discussion on how to cut costs.

The “Let’s Talk” event at the Stanborough Centre, St Albans Road, Watford was part of a 10-week public consultation process being run by the Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group (HVCCG).

They have been put in financial turnaround by NHS England and are being advised to find £45 million in savings from current spending.

CEO of HVCCG Kathryn Magson said: “It is great to see so many people wanting to learn about our NHS funding and I am really looking forward to listening to the contributions made this evening.

“People are living longer and more treatments are available which is increasing our costs and we want to involve people in the decisions that are in our control.

“In the last two years we have saved £10 million, so the target for us to save £45 million is seismic, I cannot even describe the changes we have to make.”

The group are being asked to find roughly five per cent of their income in savings, which is proportionally similar to what is being asked of other groups around the country.

The decision to close the Nascot Lawn Respite Centre is estimated to save the HVCCG £600,000 a year.

The decision has been taken to cut funding is because they state that there is no legal responsibility for the NHS to fund respite is a social issue and should be funded by the local authorities.

Among services being cut include the prescription of paracetamol and over-the-counter medicines as well as gluten-free food, vasectomies and female sterilisation without medical need.

IVF courses will be limited to one round per patient and a focus will be put on preventative measures to stop people needing further medical attention.

Patients who are smokers or overweight will be challenged to improve their health by quitting smoking and reducing their BMI before being put forward for non-urgent surgery.

Administration costs were among the first things to be changed to shave money off of the target set by NHS England.

If the proposed targets are not met then the decision on how to save money will be taken away from the CCG and it will be overseen by NHS England.

The public consultation will continue until September 10, and members of the public are encouraged to put their opinions forward by attending the meetings held across Hertfordshire or get in touch via social media.