HEALTH bosses have published their discussion document for the future of Bridlington Hospital.
The 16-page report states: "We need to ensure that we are maximising the role of Bridlington Hospital in providing modern healthcare. This may result in additional, different services being offered to local people in Bridlington and the area."

The future role of the hospital is being reviewed as Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust seeks to find ways to allow patients to receive care nearer to home, ensure services are safe and 'fit for the future' and change training methods – while all the time it looks to make inroads into millions of pounds of debts.

The loss of maternity services appears to have been already decided, with the report stating births at Bridlington Hospital will be 'probably discontinued on the grounds of public safety and the public misperception that delivery at Bridlington Hospital is safer than a home birth'.
Other changes proposed include:

* to introduce a 'walk-in' minor injuries service which could be restored to a 24-hour service.

* to review acute medical services although no specific details are given.

* to increase the number and range of day surgery operations at the site.

* to look to provide specialist day treatments in chemotherapy.

The trust insists that despite public opposition, change is necessary, partly because Bridlington Hospital could lose its junior doctors.

"The medical Deanery, the body that agrees where junior doctors in training can be trained, is seeking to withdraw their support for training junior doctors in Bridlington as the hospital does not see a wide enough range of patients, or enough patients to ensure that junior doctors gain the level of training experience that they need," the report claims.

But there are other issues which have promoted the review.

The document says: "We now have an ageing population, especially in the Bridlington area where a significant
proportion of local people are older and ageing. Indeed, this trend is expected to continue over the next 10 to 20 years with a significant impact on health needs and service provision.

"This, along with other factors such as obesity, means that the main health problem is no longer predominantly acute illness (serious short term illness), but managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, respiratory diseases and arthritis.

"If we do not review services at Bridlington Hospital, we run the potential risk of ad hoc service changes, increased potential for things to go wrong with patient care, difficulty in developing new services and a failure to deliver a local health service that meets local patients needs.

"It is envisaged there will be a broad range of acute medical services provided on the Bridlington Hospital site.

"In common with almost every hospital in England, the number of beds on site may reduce. The number of hospital beds does not equate to the quality of care patients receive."

The document can be found online at www.scarborough.nhs.uk/trust_documents, and residents are invited to give their opinions.

A full three-month public consultation exercise is due to start next month.

New theatre opens

HEALTH trust chiefs hope that the £270,000 revamp of an operating theatre could hint at a break in the gloom at Bridlington Hospital.

The Shepherd Theatre, providing day care surgery, was officially opened by NHS trust chairman Richard Grunwell on Tuesday. It will deal with pain procedures, orthopaedics, general surgery and oral surgery.

Trust chief executive Iain McInnes said: "We would not put that money into a theatre if we did not think we were going to make use of it. Some people might be willing to spend that kind of money, but we would not.

"This investment demonstrates our commitment to improving services at Bridlington Hospital."

The ward, which was funded through capital development unconnected to cutbacks, could begin to take some patients requiring minor surgery from Hull and Scarborough.
Mr Grunwell said: "I am delighted to see the new theatre in use. It is a fantastic facility, and part of the confidence we are showing in Bridlington Hospital and the great future which it has ahead.

"We are keen to see Bridlington as part of the future of Scarborough and the North East trust. It is a future we are planning out now."

Capital Development has also funded a £200,000 investment in the hospital's endoscopy unit.

Future of hospital plan is published 23/11/06 Log on to:
http://www.scarborough.nhs.uk/trust_documents.php Read the reports http://www.scarborough.nhs.uk/controlpanel/shoppics/pdfs/Item7aDiscussionDocreBridlingtonHospital.pdf
http://www.scarborough.nhs.uk/controlpanel/shoppics/pdfs/Item7aDiscussiondocreMaternityServices.pdf http://www.scarborough.nhs.uk/controlpanel/shoppics/pdfs/Item7bCorporateObjectives.pdf There are many more reports to read - take time out to understand

Kindest regards Mick Pilling fighting for Bridlington Services