Save Bridlington Hospital

We are informed by the: Scarborough & North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Bridlington & District Hospital is not a Accident & Emergency Department but a 24 hour Minor Injuries Unit led by Staff-Grade Nurse Practitioners.

Information treatment Services: Minor Injuries Unit & Accident & Emergency below:

This Information below will help you where to go for help!

Go to Minor Injuries Unit or an A&E department if you need treatment for the following:

A minor cut or wound
A strain
A minor broken bone (finger and toes)
A wound infection
A minor burn or scald
Splinter, fish-hook or jewellery-stud removal
A bite, sting or a minor eye injury
A minor neck pain or injury or minor facial/nose injury
A nosebleed, a small abscess or soft tissue injury/bruising.
Go to a Full Accident & Emergency Department if you need treatment for:

Anything that requires hospital investigation
Any fracture other than a very minor one
Chest Pain, Head Injury, Sudden Breathing Problem
Overdoses of drug or alcohol
Acute abdominal Pain or Acute Bladder Problems
Sudden Gynaecological or Obstetric Problems

Other M.I.U. and A&E Departments in this area are as follows:

Accident & Emergency Departments · Scarborough Hospital, Woodlands Drive, YO12 6QL - Full A & E – Tel: (01723) 368111

Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Rd, Hull, HU3 2JZ - Full A & E – Tel: (01482) 328541

York District Hospital, Wigginton Rd, YO31 7HE - Full A & E - Tel: (01904) 631313

Minor Injuries Units open 24 hours - Bridlington Hospital Bessingby Rd, (MIU) - Tel: (01262) 606666

Malton Hospital Middlecave Rd, YO17 0NE Tel: (01653) 604525

Withernsea Hospital Queen St, Tel: (01964) 533146

Hornsea Cottage Eastgate Hornsea Tel: (01964) 533146

Minor Injuries Units not open 24 hours

Alfred Bean Hospital Driffield, open 9pm to 9am Tel: (01377) 241124

Bransholme Health Centre Hull open 9am to 5pm week days Tel: (01482) 838855

Beverley Westwood Hospital open 9am to 5pm Tel: (01482) 875875

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Contact your GP for help with:

Mental health problems
Long-standing health problems
Any medical problem that is not an accident or an emergency

NHS DIRECT call 24 hours on 0845 4647 - All calls at local rates

The Hospital

SERVICES AVAILABLE AT BRIDLINGTON & DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Community Service (Entrance A)

Chiropody Clinic
Diabetic Foot Clinic
Speech & Language Therapy Clinic - Adults & Children
Dietetics Clinic
Psychiatry Clinic - Children
Psychiatry Clinic - Adults
Psychiatry Clinic - Learning Disabilities
GUM Clinic
Retinal Screening (Clinic over three month period, once per year)
Community Dental Clinic
Waters Ward - Mental Health - Elderly
Buckrose ward - Mental Health
Physiotherapy Service In & Out-Patient Service
Occupational Therapy Services In & Out-Patient Service

Other Services - Dental Access Clinic

Scarborough North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Medical Services
Acute (Thornton Ward, Kent Ward)
Rehabilitation - Stroke (Johnson Ward)
Day Hospital - Parkinson's Clinic
Venous Ulcer Clinic (Dressing Replacement)
Cardiac Monitoring Unit

Surgical Services
In-patients (Lloyd Ward)
Theatre suite
Shepherd Day Case Unit - out-patient (including Pain Clinic)
Minor Injuries Unit - (Due to re-open 24 hours from Tuesday 1st July 2003)

Maternity Services (Under threat of having services cut?)

Avenue Maternity Unit Booking Clinic ( both held Ante-natal Clinic ) in OPD

Clinical Support Services

X-ray Department (Radiology Equipment)
(Awaiting a major overall, with New state-of-the-art digital X-ray Machine
& New Fluoroscopic X-ray Machine due to be installed 2003/2004 we are told)
Out-Patients Department - Covering all clinical groups
Surgical Appliance Clinic

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Requirements at Bridlington Hospital

Priory Ward 28 bed: remains closed, pressure is been applied to have this ward re-opened & used to relieve other wards.
CT Scanner at the High Dependency Unit, Bridlington & District Hospital would be a wise investment?
Lifts within the Bridlington Hospital remain in-operative, causing some delay?
Day Case Unit requires up-grading?
Crèche Facilities, even though it forms part of the National Plan, we don't one?
Theatre to date as not been up-graded?
No Senior Manager is based at Bridlington & District Hospital?
Additional: 2 Consultants & 2 Trust Grade Doctors would not go amiss

Report by: The Royal College of Physicians, Surgeons & General Practitioners after there visit to the Bridlington & District Hospital on February, 11th - 12th 2003 as follows:

Options for change are explored in the report and these, along other options, are being considered by, Clinical Strategy Project Group (CSPG). The Bridlington work will also be further informed by the Junior Doctors' assessment visit to the hospital by the Royal College of Physicians on 16th June 2003.

On this day Monday 16/06/03, The Save Bridlington Hospital - Campaigners will be holding a Peaceful Protest at the hospital, to out-line the problems the hospital is suffering due to recent cuts in services due to lack of investment at Bridlington Hospital, i.e. Minor Injuries Unit, being closed due to lack of staff, closed over night 10.00pm until 08.30am next day, we are now in the 9th month at present, The M.I.U. is due to open on Tuesday, 1st July 2003 (Nurse led) we are informed by the Trust.

Maternity Services were given a 3 option choice to reduce services, pressure on the Scarborough Healthcare Trust is been applied to avert complete closure, i.e. removing Maternity Services to Scarborough Hospital in a cost saving exercise.

All services at the Bridlington Hospital are a direct cause of lack of investment over the last 4 years whilst the Bridlington hospital as been owned and run by the Scarborough & North East Healthcare NHS Trust.

New Improved Diagnostic services (new x-ray machines state-of-the art and Fluoroscopy room to be installed August 2003) we are told the Trust have spent £1.3m on this equipment to be installed.

The people, residents of Bridlington & surrounding areas, would like to see what the Royal College of Physicians stated at a recent visit come true, they recommended that the Bridlington Hospital, (quote) option (3) - "Build up Bridlington as an enhanced Diagnostic & Treatment Centre" in a nut shell, up-grade Bridlington Hospital and bring it in line with other hospital in the 21st century. Reshaping Bridlington hospital for the future should be paramount, this is a thriving town and a fast growing town with many planned facilities.

We would like to see introduced at Bridlington hospital a newly created Stroke and Rehabilitation Unit, this can be achieved with the help of Dr Naser who needs your support to help with this objective.

Bridlington hospital is of excellent build and architectural quality and was commissioned in 1987, it joined Scarborough & North East Yorkshire NHS Healthcare Trust in 1999, since then little as been done to improve facilities due to lack of investment? We can only hope that improvements will now come forward since the visit of the Royal College of Physicians and the Bridlington Hospital can built on these recommendations.

We believe that no more cuts should be implemented at Bridlington hospital and we will be keeping a very careful watch on such activities in the future.

We must help secure Doctors, Nurses and all staff jobs at Bridlington hospital, these people are dedicated and have built up a huge trust in the people of Bridlington and district over the years, we salute them one and all, thank you.

Going to other hospitals in the area when we have a perfectly fully operational one in Bridlington, should never have come about, 20-miles of coast road joins Bridlington to Scarborough, 45 minutes by car and approx 90 mins by bus with delays caused by agricultural vehicles and caravans in summer, in winter the roads can be atrocious with adverse weather conditions, Bridlington is 50-miles from York and 35-miles from Hull, need we say more, improve our hospital!

Bridlington hospital as 149 acute beds, these are divided into 4 wards (2 acute wards, 1 mainly rehabilitation ward and 1 surgical ward also shared by the physicians) There is a 6 bedded cardiac monitoring unit/CCU with one side room often used as a medical high dependency bed. There are facilities for cardioversion and temporary pacing, both of which are carried out on site.

In addition there is a GP run palliative care/MacMillan unit and one ward occupied by the Metal Health Trust. One 30 bedded ward is closed having only ever opened for 2 weeks. Approximately 3.500 acute medical patients are admitted per year(average 10 per day). There is no apparent reason why Bridlington Hospital cannot have a CT Scanner, other than the Scarborough Trust cannot afford to run one? Cost should never be a factor when peoples lives are paramount, healthcare should always come first and foremost, lets face it we have all paid into the NHS for as long as we can remember, the Scarborough Trust are paid for by the peoples tax, (fact)

We appreciate, the Scarborough North East Healthcare NHS Trust have a long up-hill climb to put back the trust in patients and the people of Bridlington, but if previous mis-management had not been the cause and the diminishing of services at Bridlington hospital, all would have been well, so we now ask the Trust to do the right thing for all, invest in Bridlington hospital, stop these options ideas, i.e. when you are going to close a service or facility you do it within 2 weeks when you are due to reopen a service or facility you give it 3 options, i.e. front door, back door and a middle door to get out of when things go the wrong way.

In Bridlington Hospital, we do not have, a Trauma service, No resident Anaesthetic service, No acute surgical service and No intensive therapy unit, these could be improved on if investment was made, we do have a small, midwife led, maternity unit, this could also be up-graded.
This is a brief out-line and up-date, I hope it is informative and helps you understand the problems at our Beautiful run and well maintained clean hospital, once again we salute our medical staff at Bridlington Hospital, thank you.

The Royal College of Physcitians visit in February 2003 recommended that the Bridlington Hospital be up-graded and brought into line with Government recommendations, other hospital have not been down-graded as is happening at the moment to Bridlington hospital, fears are the Trust are playing Cat & Mouse with our hospital? Over the coming months we need to be vigilant, to see what the Trust get up to.

Extreme fears are, that when the Trust have done enough damage to the Bridlington hospital, and the down-grade is at its peak, the Trust can once again use the safety issue factor to say we are short of staff and doctors and cannot maintain services that are adequate.

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The 220-bed Bridlington & District Hospital was opened by the Duchess of Gloucester on May 16th, 1989, at a cost of £16m.

It provides nine wards on two floors in Bessingby Road, Bridlington. In April this year the Scarborough NHS Healthcare Trust announced a staffing crises and suggested no more operations would be carried out at Bridlington, it emerged that the Trust had not been advertising for crucial staff and had in fact created there own problems, previous Chief Executive Mr Bob Crawford turned out to be the culprit responsible for the demise of Bridlington Hospital, we fully believe this was a case of mis-management at the highest level and I would like to see a Public Inquiry held into the Trusts handling of the whole scenario.

Trust officials announced a U-turn in October and said they were planning a £1m make-over for the hospital's operating theatres if a funding bid was successful. No further announcement has been made about this.
A statement released last week by the Trust's chief executive, Ms Alison Guy, announced the Minor Injuries Unit would close each night from 10.00pm until 8.30am from Sunday and admissions to medical emergencies would cease from 2nd December 2002.

After a wave of Public condemnation, the Trust's medical director Dr Ian Holland issued a statement saying a new doctor had been found to join the Bridlington Hospital and would continue to accept medical admissions, "this doctor never materialised" the saga goes on to this very day?

More information:

On a sunny day in May, 12 years ago, 16th May, 1998 to be precise, a duchess came to Bridlington and residents were euphoric.

The Duchess of Gloucester had come to officially open the new £16m hospital.
The Bridlington & District Hospital was the realisation of a dream for patients who first started campaigning for a hospital four decades earlier, no longer would they be forced to travel the 20 miles of tedious roads of the Yorkshire coast in all weather condition and at busy times to Scarborough Hospital, or make the 40 miles trip to Hull for essential health treatment. The townsfolk believed they had a health facility they could be proud of and rely on, well all that will change if the Scarborough North & East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust run by: Chief Executive Ms Alison Guy & Medical Director: Dr Ian Holland have there way, since they took up there posts, fears are nothing as been done or achieved at Bridlington hospital accept diminishing services crucial to our town and surrounding areas of 36,000 residents and 100,000 residents and visitors in the Summer, pensioners, vulnerable, disabled, partially sighted, children and many more from all walks of life are put about whilst the Trust, who admit they are financially embarrassed because the Trust is somewhat in debt to the tune of £8m.

The 220-bed two-story block on a sweeping 16-acre site at Bessingby Road was designed to draw together facilities previously provided at the town's three old hospitals - Lloyd, Avenue and Bempton Lane.

But over the years services have declined and alarm bells started ringing for the future of Bridlington Hospital earlier this year when a critical report by the watchdog body, the Commission for Health Improvement, warned of "numerous concerns for patient safety". The report highlighted worries about weekend surgery, post-operative supervision, staffing levels, and anesthetic cover. It revealed that patients with serious injuries were being treated in the hospital's minor injuries unit which did not have the resources and facilities to cope. The solution from the Scarborough North & East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust officials was to accept they could not find extra staff and announced the night-time closure of the unit from 10pm to 8.30am. A last-minute decision by the Trust to continue admitting medical emergencies when an extra doctor was found didn't impress G.Ps, who still feared the resort might lose the vital services. And despite officials insisting the emergency measures were due to lack of staff, doctors believed the motivation was to save money, "we now know this is true". Dr Paul Pickering, spokesman for the resort's 24 Bridlington G.Ps, said doctors were unanimous in their outrage and condemnation of the Trust's decision. Dr Pickering, the G.Ps principal at the town's Fieldhouse Surgery, in Victoria Road, Bridlington, said: Employing just one extra person will not solve the hospital's problems and it is ludicrous to suggest otherwise. In a 700-word statement, the doctors said refusal to admit medical emergencies will force severely ill patients to travel to Scarborough or Hull, for treatment which could be given in Bridlington.

But the Trust's Chief Executive Ms Alison Guy, who faces a tough grilling by Bridlington Town Council at an arranged meeting at the Town Hall remains sympathetic to the G.Ps concerns. She said at the meeting, we regret having to close the Minor Injuries Unit due to a lack of staff and hope it will be a temporary measure, up-date, "A date of Tuesday, 1st July 2003" we are told will be the opening of M.I.U. 24 hours service, we wait with baited breath.

Ms Guy said, we would ask the public to understand our difficulties, Ms Guy should understand the need for Care & Welfare in the community, the NHS Trust is set-up to help those in health needs not cut facilities when the going get tough, there are far too many chief's and not enough Indians, the public do not want to hear, we have no money, we have no staff, we are cutting facilities, lets face it someone as made a big mess within the Scarborough Trust and only a Public Inquiry will resolve it?

"Funding shortages over the years have continually presented problems at the hospital" fears are this is down to bad management within the Trust's previous management but yet it continues, in three and a half years since the Scarborough Trust took over Bridlington Hospital no investment as been made, consequently, the demise of a wonderful new hospital, it is shameful.

They sparked public outrage five years ago when hospital officials suggested cutting down on surgical services and closing a ward. Residents were not having that and campaigned against the move. A health forum pressure group was set-up, which still meets regularly.

The Trust only ever seem to take the short-term view, yearly planning would be the obvious outlook but the Trust keep saying there is no money available for Bridlington?

I am horrified that a large organisation such as the Scarborough Trust finds it hard to manage such a beautiful well equipped hospital as Bridlington & District Hospital, with its dedicated Doctors and Nurses, a very big thank you, goes out to our Doctors: Dr Pond, Dr Memon & Dr Nasser who hold our hospital together, all our Nurses are helpful, courteous and most of all caring, it a pity the: Scarborough North & East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust finds it hard to care and put money first!

If the good people of Bridlington & Surrounding areas ever let the Bridlington Hospital close, "you will never get the facilities back" You must always stand up for your beliefs, I believe our Hospital is a King-pin in our town, to loose it will be a great crime.

The Priory Ward at Bridlington hospital with its (28) Beds remains closed, why, no staff?

The Lift in the Hospital remains broken for 7 months, why, no money?
X-ray Machines remain broken, why, no money to up-grade facilities within the hospital so staff have to struggle daily?

Mobile X-ray machine, that should be used intermittently, are used daily continuously, why, no money to repair others?

A true picture of Bridlington Hospital is pure & simple, a complete lack of investment since the: Scarborough North & East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust took over.

Planning Bridlington Hospital's Future

On Wednesday, 26th February, 2003 members of the Scarborough Healthcare Trust & Primary Care Trust (P.C.T.) hold a workshops meeting to discuss the future running of the Bridlington & District Hospital, the meeting was attended by: Dr David Wigglesworth, Alison Guy, Dr Ragan Madhok, Dr Jeffrie Strang (director of public health & medical director for Scarborough, Whitby & Ryedale P.C.T.), Dolly Richardson (chairman of the East Yorkshire Community Health Council) & Adrian Smith (chief executive of Yorkshire Wolds & Coast P.C.T. Trust).

Also in attendance was approx 65 residents and campaigners, to discuss the future running of the Bridlington Hospital.

Although the discussion have been held as yet we have seen no changes at our hospital, so we say to the above Official's "talks cheap" lets see the hospital flourish you now know what the people and residents of Bridlington want.

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