Save Bridlington Hospital

Taken from this weeks Big Issue

Plans to relocate Bridlington Hospital’s facilities for mental health patients 40 miles away to Hull are being seen by campaigners and trade unions as a further blow to the organisation’s future. The move follows the closure last year of the maternity unit, two acute wards and the cardiac monitoring unit at Bridlington, with Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust (SNEYHT) transferring services to Scarborough 22 miles away.

This sparked anger in the East Riding seaside town and in July last year it held its largest ever demonstration. Led by the Save Bridlington Hospital Action Group (SBHAG), with support from the trade union Unite, more than 6,000 people in a town of 40,000 marched in an ultimately unsuccessful struggle to protect services.

The 16-bed Buckrose Ward provides in-patient care for people with acute mental health problems. The lease for the ward from SNEYHT to Humber Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust (HMHTT) will expire in autumn next year.

According to an HMHTT spokesperson: “It is not providing good value for money as it meets only the most basic standards. Reducing the number of in-patient units would mean we could provide more clinically effective, safe services in one bigger single unit. We will be however undertaking public consultation on this before going ahead.” Mick Pilling, SBHAG chair, was sceptical about public consultation. He said: “We’ve heard it all before. They consulted us about the previous transfers, we had petitions that virtually every single adult in the town signed and numerous rallies and large demonstrations. It made no difference. Clearly they’ve taken the decision and it’s a big blow for the town.” One member of staff on the ward, who didn’t want to be named, said they had been left

“surprised, as the trust has spent a lot of money recently on improving facilities”. He added: “The staff believe the facilities are good and we want them to remain here as otherwise it will mean patients having to travel a long way to receive treatment. We do not know what will happen to our jobs.”

He estimated that over a million pounds had been spent – more than the trust’s claims of £69,000. The HMHTT spokesperson said: “The improvements meant the ward would now be suitable for any use should we vacate it.” Terry Cunliffe, regional officer for Unite, which represents many of the hospital’s staff, expressed concerns that Buckrose will remain empty once services move to Hull. He said: “I fear the hospital, with its highly committed staff, is moving towards becoming a glorified health centre.” The moves to transfer the mental health services could put added pressure on Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS), which has recently been criticised by the independent regulator of health and social care for its inadequate service. YAS was rated weak for the third consecutive year for failing to reach patients with life threatening conditions within eight minutes in 75 per cent of cases. It is the only Yorkshire trust to score weak.

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Bridlington ward to close

Taken from this weeks Big Issue Plans to relocate Bridlington Hospital’s facilities for mental health patients 40 miles away to Hull are being seen by campaigners and trade unions as a further blow to the organisation’s future. The move follows the closure last year of the maternity unit, two acute wards and the cardiac monitoring unit at Bridlington, with Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust (SNEYHT) transferring services to Scarborough 22 miles away. This sparked anger in the East Riding seaside town and in July last year it held its largest ever demonstration. Led by the Save Bridlington Hospital Action Group (SBHAG), with support from the trade union Unite, more than 6,000 people in a town of 40,000 marched in an ultimately unsuccessful struggle to protect services. The 16-bed Buckrose Ward provides in-patient care for people with acute mental health problems. The lease for the ward from SNEYHT to Humber Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust (HMHTT) will expire in autumn next year.
According to an HMHTT spokesperson: “It is not providing good value for money as it meets only the most basic standards. Reducing the number of in-patient units would mean we could provide more clinically effective, safe services in one bigger single unit. We will be however undertaking public consultation on this before going ahead.” Mick Pilling, SBHAG chair, was sceptical about public consultation. He said: “We’ve heard it all before. They consulted us about the previous transfers, we had petitions that virtually every single adult in the town signed and numerous rallies and large demonstrations. It made no difference. Clearly they’ve taken the decision and it’s a big blow for the town.” One member of staff on the ward, who didn’t want to be named, said they had been left “surprised, as the trust has spent a lot of money recently on improving facilities”. He added: “The staff believe the facilities are good and we want them to remain here as otherwise it will mean patients having to travel a long way to receive treatment. We do not know what will happen to our jobs.” He estimated that over a million pounds had been spent – more than the trust’s claims of £69,000. The HMHTT spokesperson said: “The improvements meant the ward would now be suitable for any use should we vacate it.” Terry Cunliffe, regional officer for Unite, which represents many of the hospital’s staff, expressed concerns that Buckrose will remain empty once services move to Hull. He said: “I fear the hospital, with its highly committed staff, is moving towards becoming a glorified health centre.” The moves to transfer the mental health services could put added pressure on Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS), which has recently been criticised by the independent regulator of health and social care for its inadequate service. YAS was rated weak for the third consecutive year for failing to reach patients with life threatening conditions within eight minutes in 75 per cent of cases. It is the only Yorkshire trust to score weak.


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