Please note your reply Iain to my questions;  it says that Professor Alberti has not made a formal report! Why not! He is pushing ahead with no formal report!  This should be looked into immediately 11/11/07

NOTE: I am in possession of a letter received from the Department of Health signed by Paul Larkin which was sent to the Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson MP (Health Sec) which clearly states; Professor Alberti first visited Bridlington Hospital in May 07 and then later in July.......It States that Professor Alberti published a report? a claim you deny?

When consultations were made and attended by myself and the town there were 4 options on the table for the CMU
At the meeting in December 07 a 5th option was presented, the one the Trust is standing by....the 5th option was not included in the consultation?  Do we take it you have moved the goal posts?

I can inform the Scarborough NHS Trust run by Chief Executive Iain McInnes that our intentions are to form a Legal team to investigate any deaths in the event of patients dying in the backs of Ambulances through the CMU been removed to Scarborough this will consist of legal solicitors, advocacy's and claims for medical negligence, you have been informed that many lives have been saved in the past with the CMU been sited in Bridlington, we feel that you should be held responsible for any loss of life.

Your recent claims that our group are "unhelpful" reported in the Yorkshire Post are without foundation......The reason you state this is you would like the CMU & Acute removed without a challenge, the town of Bridlington do not need to be fearful of our group in fact we have the full towns overwhelming support with a petition which now stands at 16,000 plus with still 2 weeks plus to run....made up of towns people not holiday makers; your claimed the last petition of 22,500 which was presented to you in December 2006,  A recent March/Protest of 3,000 town's people was a great success but unattended by the Trust? 

The Doctors in Bridlington & surrounding areas some 20+ also find the removal of the CMU a very bad move by the Trust and stated the removal of the CMU will result in the loss of life, so the Trust will be holding meetings with the Doctors to see if they can persuade the doctors to toe the line, what are the Trust afraid of?? To say the Cardiac Monitoring Unit is not sustainable is frankly ludicrous it as worked perfectly for a large number of years and continued to save many lives including my own I firmly believe; 100's more towns residents have stated the same, you stand alone in your fight to remove the CMU......the quote not sustainable is the complete lack of investment which the Trust has done for the last few years........we firmly believe that your next move will be to use the "Health & Safety Rule" you so frequently use to obtain your own way, we only have to take a look at the Minor Injuries Unit you closed through lack of staff over 17 months ago; you then stated you would reopen on 2 occasion; you did not...no staff and no recruitment.

Highly Trained Nurses on the CMU are talking of leaving because you and you alone have used scaremongering tactics, the talk of removing the CMU to Scarborough does not give nurses a job prospect for the future or security, these dedicated nurses deserve better. 

You, Mr. McInnes we believe are playing God with people's lives; on the other side I see Lynn Young as been brought in to oversee the restructuring of the Acute and CMU and you seem to have convinced her the changes are for a better service; or is Lynn a scape-goat? if the proverbial hits the fan?

I seemed to baffled by the saying; there is no ICU no accident & emergency and no 24hr anaesthetic cover at Bridlington; no-one as ever stated this and you don't need such cover for the CMU?

The statement; the shake-up of services as the full support of the Emergency czar Pro Alberti.....of course it does he was brought in for the sole reason of giving you the extra elbow you needed; then you can say it was Professor Aberti that moved the CMU & Acute not you, yes we've all fallen in now.  "But who invited him" we are at a loss, was it you Mr. McInnes or did he just show up and put his plan together, what a clever man!

A question the is baffling everyone; how do you plan to take 6 beds from the CMU in Bridlington and put them into Scarborough?  We are informed you have not the room?  If your CCU is full where will heart attack patients end up....at the undertakers or taken miles away from there families and loved one's......rumour as it that you are to have a port-a-cabin attached to take the over-flow?  cost...£1m to £2m can you through some light on this.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) we are told will need a further 3 Ambulances to cope; 2 Commissioned Ambulances & 1 Rapid Response Car plus crews & staff...cost £1.5m if the CMU is removed from Bridlington.  At present the YAS is finding it extremely difficult to cope with demand, but of course this will not effect you.

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000  I would sincerely like the answers to questions put to you at your earliest convenience.

Regards Mick Pilling
Fighting for the People & Residents of Bridlington & Surrounding areas; we need a fairer NHS and investment in Bridlington Hospital.