Local MP Andrew Percy has written to the Secretary of State for Health to make him aware of local concerns regarding the loss of beds at Goole Hospital. Although the decision to reduce bed numbers is made by the local Hospital Trust and not Government Ministers, the coalition Government has recently announced one of the biggest restructurings of the NHS, aimed at involving local people more in the running of the NHS.
Andrew has also secured a meeting with the new Chief Executive of the North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospital Trust later this month to discuss the situation at Goole in more detail. It is hoped that local Councillors will also be able to attend this meeting.
Andrew says, “The funding short fall facing the Hospital Trust is as a result of the previous Government who left the Trust with a more than £10 million black hole thanks to a new three year pay deal. Fortunately, the new coalition Government has committed to protect the NHS budget from cuts.
There is rightly a great deal of concern locally about the recent ‘flexing’ down of bed numbers at Goole and we now know that the Trust is undertaking a formal review of bed numbers. I will fight any changes which disadvantage local patients and that is why I have taken two courses of action.
Firstly, I have arranged a meeting with the new Chief Executive of the Hospital Trust for later this month when she takes up the post. I want to meet with her to make sure that she is under no illusions about the strength of feeling on this issue in Goole.
Secondly, I have also written to the Secretary of State for Health to alert him to local concerns. Although, Ministers are not involved in this decision I felt that, given the reorganisation of the NHS announced by the Government yesterday, it was important to make him aware of the frustrations local people have with the current arrangements.
The coalition Government has made a specific pledge to ensure that patients are better represented in NHS decision making and I have also asked the Minister to outline how this might impact on any proposals to remove beds at Goole should they emerge in the review.
I won’t sit idly by and watch our local services reduce and I will do everything I can to stop any proposals which would downgrade services provided at Goole. However, we must also recognise that as of yet there are no concrete proposals to do that and so we must wait until the review is presented by the Trust.”
Andrew has also agreed to attend the public meeting being held in Goole on July 28th to discuss this in more detail.