Waters Have Broken! Bridlington Hospital Maternity Unit CLOSED! |
Already; we have lost over-night services at the MIU from 9.00pm to 9.00am next day with the closure of Minor Injuries Unit it means patients now have to travel some 20 to 40 miles to either Hull or Scarborough A&E, this closure we are told will be long term whilst the Trust meets with Doctors out of Hours to discuss the way forward. We have also lost up-to-now: security-men, grounds-men, porters; seen car-park-charges imposed, we are told this is done because it is the way forward and it saves money, the NHS is under reform and restructure, at what cost, its the patient who is suffering. Still we only have (one) Ambulance in operation at night to cover a town of some 45,000 people, raising to 100,000 in the Summer-months; the Trust always seems to come up with these ludicrous cuts in the Winter months when our roads are sometimes closed with snow, suffer freezing fog or are ice-bound, the coastal roads are not the best with heavy traffic at times, the 22 miles to Scarborough for a poorly patient can be hazardous at the best of time, "We firmly believe lives could be lost", Heart Attack Victims/Chest Pains; Expectant Mothers and Critical Patients. Once at the Scarborough Hospital you are treated and released were possible, this can be in the early part of the morning, you are told to make your own way home? With no trains and no buses ; looks like you will have to get a taxi; this can cost between £25.00/£35.00 from Scarborough; from Hull it will cost you far-more, depending on where you live; if you have no money? Why not ring someone up in the early hours and ask them to collect you...yes; this it what you are told on your release!! The Scarborough NHS Trust are now putting together another 5 year plan to get out of debt! They put a 3/5 year plan in place in 2003/4 but still continued to get into debt; this as seen many cuts; the Trust say's they have a turnaround plan in place; the process is not about cutting services - it is driven by the need to ensure local healthcare is safe, appropriate and sustainable.....The measures, known as a turnaround plan, propose savings in four areas; General House-keeping schemes, with immediate effect; pilot schemes which, if successful will be fully adopted next year; schemes put in place jointly with North Yorkshire & York Primary Care Trust (PCT) & East Riding of Yorkshire (PCT) and long-term changes, will require Public Consultation. Jobs on the line: We have also heard from the Trust that jobs! Will be be lost in certain areas, this being; bank-staff and agency staff, short term staff not having contracts renewed and staff who are near retirement been asked to take early retirement; this will save many thousands of £££'s A Petition of no less than 22,500 signatures was handed to the (Interim) Chief Executive Iain McInnes of the Scarborough & North East Yorkshire NHS Healthcare Trust by the Mayor & Mayoress of Bridlington Cllr's Les & Wyn Taylor; they asked the Chief executive what was the future of Bridlington & District Hospital, he replied I can assure you it will not close but there are many new changes on the agenda? We firmly believe; that a Healthcare NHS Trusts financial difficulties should not affect Patients or Doctors & Nursing Staff, nor, should it involve closing vital services to communities; all this can do is to affect the very people it is supposed to be treating; the elderly, the infirm, disabled and general public. Closing any Health Service no matter what is the wrong way forward; the Health Service was not designed to be chopped, diced and sliced!! The people of this land have paid into the Health Service since it began, they are still paying, reflected in Taxes! Next on the agenda; we would like to see the money raised by the people of Bridlington for a Birthing Pool for the Maternity Service the amount is about £2/3,000 Returned to the hospital and the people who raised it! NOT put in the big-pot! Kindest regards Mick Pilling |
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