Travesty Bestowed on Bridlington Hospital because of Scarborough NHS Trust Debts! |
July 17 th 2007 brought Bridlington some devastating news from the Scarborough NHS Trust as the Trust board met in Malton, North Yorkshire; it revelled it had debts in excess of £28m and it would be over a 2 year period reducing the workforce of the Trust by the equivalent of 600 posts ; 400 in the current financial year and 200 in the following financial year. These positions will be a variety of posts with the minimal impact possible on front line clinical staff and patient services; it will also be forced to cut many services; one of the Trusts decision was to close the Maternity Services within the next 12/18 months at Bridlington Hospital; this as indeed angered the town; and the Town Council as Voted a “Vote of NO Confidence” in the Scarborough NHS Trust who run Bridlington Hospital; also to close will be Whitby & Malton Maternity Units respectively. Those Towns are also angered and are fighting against all cuts in services. July 19 th 2007 we here from the Humber Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust who run the Mental Health at the Bridlington Hospital that there plans are to remove and to close the Waters Ward at Bridlington Hospital by September 2007 with further plans to close the Buckrose Ward by 2010 when the lease runs out; this will leave the Bridlington Hospital without Mental Health facility. This is yet another knock for the town of Bridlington; further meetings planned by the Scarborough NHS Trust Board are due to be held in September 2007 when the town expects more bad and devastating news ; plans are in the pipeline to remove the Cardiac Monitoring Unit and take its 6 beds to Scarborough Hospital meaning that all chest pain victims and heart attack victims will be taken by ambulance to either Scarborough Hospital 20 miles away or Hull Royal Hospital some 40 miles away; the town thinks this is a very bad move and could contribute to a patient dying in transit; all persons who live in Bridlington have voted against this happening; they firmly believe this is a very bad move by the Trust. We have also being informed by the Scarborough NHS Trust that Car-Park-Charges will increase by September 2007 at Bridlington & Scarborough Hospitals; tariffs have not yet been set; staff have; also been informed that they will also be charged for attending work to park and that all monies collected will go into the big pot to reduce the Trust Debt fact! The town's people of Bridlington have categorically stated that they do not believe that the much stretched Ambulance Service will be able to cope with the demand and emergencies that will be put on them when services are reduced; the true fact is that expectant mothers; heart attack and also chest pain victims will all need to be taken to Scarborough Hospital; therefore the town's people want full reassurance that the Ambulance service can and will be able meet demand; let us not forget, we have reportedly; only 2 Ambulances by day and only one at night? The rest of the ambulances are called in from other towns such as Hornsea, Beverley, Driffield, Filey & Scarborough, oh yes and Whitby ? Our Minor Injuries Unit closed its doors overnight from September 2006 because 2 staff were said to be on maternity leave and the Trust believed there were not enough staff to operate or cope and classed it as a safety issue; it is now closed from 9pm at night until 9am next day; in total the (MIU) as been closed twice in previous years giving the town an uncertain future as to when the (MIU) will resume with 24/7 cover; our town classes this as unacceptable when all said and done this is the National Health services whom everyone as paid into all there working lives. It was due to re-open in May 2007 but no staff were found, due to lack of advertising; it as now been closed 11 months; with a town of 44,000 residents and a visiting holiday population of some 50,000 a year the need for this (MIU) should to re-open speaks for itself. We as a Campaign Group firmly believe the Town of Bridlington cannot sustain such cuts any longer and request the Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson MP steps in now and holds a public inquiry; is the Rt. Hon. Gentleman aware that the Scarborough NHS Trust as had debts for the last 6 years and that recovery plans time and time again have not worked due to the lack of financial help from Central Government; the Trust are now taking drastic measures to reduce this debt which we believe will affect the whole of North & East Yorkshire; reducing staffing levels by 600 and closing wards is not the way; reducing services is not the way; some financial help from Central Government is the only way; this is not a ( local issue) it is one created by the Governments new reforms on NHS which we now believe will affect many patients in time to come; the Scarborough NHS Trust Board have stated; “ CHAIRMAN Sir Michael Carlisle said; there was a real threat of a Section 19 order being put on the Trust which means it would have been declared insolvent by the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority, with management of services transferred to either Hull or York”. He said: “Unless these measures are put in place there is little doubt that the matter will be taken out of our hands.” Iain McInnes, Chief Executive, told people at the Norton, Nr Malton, North Yorkshire meeting that the Trust had little choice but to implement these measures now been taken. Hospitals Affected in this rural deprived area of Services & Staff are as follows : Withernsea; Hornsea; Driffield; Beverley; Malton; Whitby & Bridlington; as stated these areas of North & East Yorkshire cannot sustain the amount of cuts to services, the hospital job losses and the loss in the Care sector; something must be done now! Finally; we can state the People, Patients; Nurses & Doctors are appalled, disgusted and outraged at all the proposals been made in this region. Yours truly, Mick Pilling (chairman) Copies to by Letter & E-mail: |
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