We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to SAVE BRIDLINGTON HOSPITAL & other hospitals named. More details

Submitted by Mick Pilling of Save Bridlington Hospital Campaign Action Group – Deadline to sign up by: 03 April 2008 – Signatures:   428

SaveBridlington - epetition reply

13 May 2008

We received a petition asking:

"We the undersigned petition the Prime to SAVE BRIDLINGTON HOSPITAL & other hospitals named."

Details of Petition:

"The East & North Yorkshire Hospitals are taking a battering regarding Hospital Services; it could be there demise; the removal of Jobs both Nurses & Doctors, also Beds,the closure of Wards; cut back of Minor Injuries Units with no over-night cover patients having to travel 20/40 miles to nearest A&E hospital; travelling on bad country rural roads; the closure of Maternity Units at 3 hospitals then having to travel 20/40 miles to the nearest; 4 babies born in backs of Ambulances in 2 weeks; trying to close Cardiac Monitoring Unit of 6 beds & Surgical Wards with some 60 beds lost; closure of 2 Mental Health wards loss of 35 jobs and 24 beds. Primary Healthcare Trusts & Hospital Trusts with massive debts North Yorks PCT £45m alone We can no longer sustain such cuts in this rural area; lives could be lost. We need your support please sign our petition; lets all show solidarity Hospitals affected are: Withernsea, Hornsea, Driffield, Beverley, Bridlington, Malton, Whitby, York & Scarborough all Hospitals with cuts, closures, staff loses. We need Central Government £ Injection We beg the NHS; Prime Minister to re-think the new reforms before lives are lost or put at risk."

• Read the petition http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page15516.asp
• Petitions home page

The Government appreciates concerns about the future of services at Bridlington Hospital and the impact that any changes may have on the local community. However, although the Department of Health provides strategic leadership to the NHS and social care organisations in England, proposals for the reconfiguration of services are a matter for the NHS locally, working in conjunction with clinicians, patients and other stakeholders. There is also an established and clear process for managing major service change. Local NHS service configurations are subject to a full statutory consultation processes and no decisions will be made about changes to local health services until a full public consultation of three months has taken place and the views of the public and stakeholders have been taken into consideration.

The changes to services at Bridlington Hospital are being implemented following full public consultation on The Future Role for Bridlington Hospital, conducted by the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust in late 2006.

Following consultation, the Trust considered the view of the Yorkshire Deanery, the recommendations of the Royal College of Physicians and expert clinical advice given by Professor Sir George Alberti (the National Director for Emergency Access) before agreeing that, on the grounds of public safety, acute medical and cardiac admissions should not continue to be accepted at Bridlington. The outcome of these consultations must be approved by local Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs) before they can be implemented.

The Government understands that the North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire OSC may exercise its power to refer the 'Future Role for Bridlington Hospital' reconfiguration proposals to the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson. OSCs, comprising locally elected councillors, have powers to refer the outcome of the consultation to the Secretary of State for Health for final decision should they believe that the proposed outcome is not in the best interest of the local community, or if the consultation process itself was not considered adequate.

The Department of Health has established an Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) to advise Ministers on final proposals. On 4 June 2007, the Secretary of State for Health confirmed to Parliament that all OSC referrals will automatically be sent to the IRP for further consideration and that he will respond to such referrals only when the IRP has reported to him. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the Secretary of State or Ministers to intervene in reconfiguration proposals before this point in the process.

Should a referral be made by the North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire OSC in relation to the proposals for Bridlington, independent advice on the proposals would be sought from the IRP, who will take into account all concerns expressed through the consultation exercise.

Further Information http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page15516.asp