We'll fight to save hospital
CAMPAIGNERS have threatened to bring the streets of West Cornwall to a standstill in a repeat of protests in defence of their hospital service, writes the WMN's Lyn Barton.
The threat to bring tens of thousands of people out in protest was made as politicians hold a crucial summit today to discuss the future of West Cornwall Hospital.
Campaigners who have fought to safeguard services at the hospital say they simply cannot trust the county's health bosses who have reneged on promises over provision.
This evening, local MP Andrew George presides at what is certain to be a heated debate when health chiefs will come face to face with local people.
Graham Webster, of campaign group West Cornwall Healthwatch, said people felt let down and angry. He said they were ready to fight with mass demonstrations as they had in 2006 when 27,000 people joined a march through Hayle.
"Promises have been broken with regards to West Cornwall Hospital. That is why the west of the county will not let these people off the hook.
"And if they do not listen, I can see thousands of people taking the streets again."
Temperatures were raised after the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, which runs West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance, unveiled its sweeping strategic review earlier this month. The trust, whose main acute hospital at Truro, outlined a number of enhancements to the service at Penzance and nearby St Michael's Hospital at Hayle.
But it confirmed fears that the accident and emergency unit at West Cornwall would be led by an experienced nurse practitioner for 10 hours overnight.
This was despite guarantees made in January 2007, which were reiterated in April this year, that the unit would be doctor-led 24 hours a day.
Mr Webster said the strategic review was a "dog's dinner".
"The issue for people in the west of the county is about trust and confidence and at this moment in time people here have neither in RCHT."
Mr George, who has been a passionate campaigner about healthcare, said there had been a steady reduction in services.
Since 2007, West Cornwall Hospitals's high dependency unit had closed, there had been a reduction in emergency cases brought to its doorstep by ambulance and emergency surgery had ended., he said.
He added that the meeting tonight was a chance for local people to show RCHT that they cared about health provision.
"They've used the cloak of financial crisis and the revolving door of new executives to create an atmosphere of crisis and uncertainty to remove vital services from our hospital.
"Now is the time for them to build them back up again.
"The community must come to demonstrate its support for our hospital. After so much uncertainty, we need some guarantees. Patients should be seen closer to home.
"Services must be built back. We deserve a long-term plan for a hospital fit to serve the local population as it increases by another 40,000 in the next 20 years."
Speakers at the event, which starts at 7.30pm in St John's Hall in Penzance, include RCHT chief executive Peter Colclough and chairman Martin Watts, Alice Hosking, general manager of West Cornwall Hospital, and Ann James, chief executive, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust.
A spokesman for RCHT said that the casualty unit at West Cornwall Hospital was managed as part of the trust's emergency department.
She said the numbers of people attending the unit was low, averaging around six people at night who mainly walked in with minor ailments.
"As has been the arrangement for several years, there will continue to be an experienced doctor within the unit between the hours of 9am and 11pm.
"Outside these hours, the first point of contact is a skilled nurse practitioner supported by telephone advice from the specialist doctors at the emergency department at the Royal Cornwall Hospital and a 24/7 on-site resuscitation team at West Cornwall Hospital."
9 Comments
by Gill, Pool, Redruth
Saturday, November 21 2009, 11:52PM
“I was there with my family in 2006 on the march and we will be there again, we all need to get togther and fight this!!”
by Gary, West Cornwall
Saturday, November 21 2009, 9:07AM
“pay a little extra? is your head screwed on right??
there are way too many managers with cushy salaries, we were in the maternity ward recently, it took 2 hours to LEAVE as there was nobody to book us out! I asked one of the managers in a office who was clearly doing nothing, and was told that it was not her job to do it!!
pay a little extra to fund quango managers......hahaha”
by TimV, Pz
Friday, November 20 2009, 8:59PM
“Obviously another self-fulfilling prophesy! Send all emergency cases to the over-stretched casualty unit at Truro and then claim the number of local cases don't justify 24 hour clinical cover. Why not simply identify "catchment areas" to flow east and west? Meanwhile few seem to have spotted the irony that, whilst funds are apparently unavailable to maintain basic services at the hospital, ten million pounds has been found for a largely un-necessary and unwanted, centralised GP Surgery in Penzance! Far better to use this pot to maintain quality emergency and operating facilities and personnel at the hospital, where it belongs.”
by john daniel, penzance
Friday, November 20 2009, 6:25PM
“concerning the intake of night time patients at west cornwall hospital , no wonder that the figures show that it is only 6 . the reason for this is that the ambulance services have been told to take all patients to trelisk , that is minor or major injuries . my father would turn in his grave if he knew that this issue has risen its ugly head again . lets just all get together and show the nhs that we cannot be walked over”
by Colin, Penzance
Friday, November 20 2009, 3:35PM
“Whoever came up with the name "Royal Cornwall Hospital TRUST" has more immagination than Walt Disney. No one trusts them any more. The same person must have come up with the name "Nice" for the other quango, which is everything but.
I will be there tonight, and on the streets if required.”
by Oliver, cornish seaside
Friday, November 20 2009, 1:28PM
“I agree with cornish cats, why does it take two managers to do one job!! There is a definate problem with having to pay more taxes to pay for the extra cover of penzance, it wouldnt be mending the short fall of funding with by just covering it over plus would the actual money be recieved by the hospitial !!! Plus isn't cornwall's ratio of pay to expenses one of the lowest at present so people would have to struggle more and more.
Plus once the people of cornwall bail out one area whats next the fire bridge for 24 hour cover.
If we addressed another issue if people with second homes paid an extra amount of council tax then put this oney in to helping the short fall of funding to NHS, Fire bridge etc.”
by Matt, Penzance
Friday, November 20 2009, 1:01PM
“Maybe people should be prepared to pay more council tax to fund the additional cover. That has to be backed up by increased funding from the Government instead of penalising a trust already in financial crisis.
We all have to swallow the bitter pill or tax increases so that the NHS can survive.
We've also got to force the politicians to stop the systematic destruction of the NHS and ingress of the private sector.
The government wants us to believe that private enterprise can introduce more efficient working practice. Maybe that is true to some extent, but it introduces an element which is undesirable. Greed. Profit has no place in a true National Health System which should offer the same level of care to all, regardles of sex, age, race or geographical location.
I will certainly fight to get the services we need in Cornwall, but I am prepared to pay the additional financial cost that will come with it.”
by james, kernow
Friday, November 20 2009, 11:11AM
“Good on Mr Webster and Healthwatch ! The repeated breaking of promises by senior health staff (paid for by our taxes) is a disgrace and they should be ashamed of themselves. This is a matter for peoplepower not posturing politicians - lets hope we get 40,000 on the streets of Hayle next time ! And one final thought - wouldn't it be great if our unwanted and so far useless new Cornwall Council actually backed the people who pay their council tax instead of just sitting on the fence and allowing services (like cancer treatment) to be taken out of Cornwall ?”
by CornwallCats, Truro
Friday, November 20 2009, 11:08AM
“I was there at the demonstration in 2006 and it was incredible to see so many of the people of Cornwall stand up and be counted in support of local NHS services. We won then, we can win again. The local NHS Trust would be better getting rid of some it's middle managers than front line staff. (BTW, I work for the local NHS and I see too much paring to the bone on services - front line and back office support - but ever increasing middle management meetings.)”