No threat to Kidderminster as county A&Es face shake up

9:19am Wednesday 27th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By William Tomaney

More services?: Kidderminster Hospital. More services?: Kidderminster Hospital.

KIDDERMINSTER Hospital is unlikely to suffer from any downgrading as Worcestershire’s health review concentrates on a shake up of A&E services across the county.

Health leaders at a meeting of NHS Worcestershire’s joint services review (JSR) steering group yesterday confirmed all three hospital sites in the county - Kidderminster, Worcestershire Royal, Worcester and the Alexandra, Redditch - would remain open.

Wyre Forest’s MP, Mark Garnier, said the announcement could result in Kidderminster being used to a greater extent by gaining more elective services.

Under the JSR’s proposals the under-threat A&E department at the Alexandra would continue to provide local emergency care alongside a 24-hour minor injuries unit and a GP service on the site.

This would mean about 75 per cent of current urgent and emergency care cases would continue to be treated at the Redditch site - about 20 miles away from Kidderminster.

The A&E department at Worcester would be enhanced to deal with the county’s major emergencies and would include a 24-hour, seven day a week, consultant-led service with “better links to specialist departments” including those treating stroke and heart attack patients.

Chairman of Worcestershire Clinical Senate - a group of healthcare professionals advising the JSR - Lesley Murphy, said: “The JSR work is now concluding.

“Over the coming weeks the county’s clinical commissioning groups will take over the process to ensure options are worked up with the expectation there will be a second phase of engagement after the county council elections in May.”

The review was launched last June and originally threatened Kidderminster Hospital with closure. The process has faced several delays but it is now unlikely Kidderminster will lose any services.

Comments(11)

FranOb says...
10:14am Wed 27 Feb 13

This is good news for the whole County and especially for Kidderminster.
We must now make the case, WHEN the Public Consultation starts in May,for MORE elective surgery at Kidderminster Hospital.

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Can'twaittoleave says...
10:24am Wed 27 Feb 13

A number of points:

Downgrading/ changing the name of the Alex a&e is designed to confuse the public into thinking they can still access emergency healthcare whilst the Trust avoids funding an emergency department. Essentially, like Kidderminster, fewer and fewer people will see one of those pesky expensive, highly educated doctors...

Please stop pretending that the NHS in the area will improve due to this closure as the comedically, woefully inadequate middle management tiers (who's survival in management roles outside the NHS would be questionable) and the faceless fatcat Directors and CEOs have forgotten what hospitals are for. Managers have no need to remember that people need to be looked after by doctors and nurses when their burgeoning industry of NHS management is very busy milking the no-accountability cash-cow.

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gypsyman says...
10:37am Wed 27 Feb 13

there,s no sutch thing as kidderminster hospital any more, so how can they downgrade it, lol. its more like a big doctors sergery

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Stephen Brown says...
11:17am Wed 27 Feb 13

While this is welcome news for Kidderminster, in that it is likely no services will be downgraded, and we may end up with some additional services, depending upon the outcome of public consultation, the public consultation phase is critical.

What goes out to consultation should be made clear and concise so that the public understand what is on the table so they can make a judgement for themselves and select a preference. Any 'pre-determination' of an outcome by the NHS is not acceptable and I am not sure the timescales quoted above for consultation events (or whatever it is the CCG proposes - that's unclear) before the election is feasible? Is it sayng they are doing a pre-consultation on any options then a round after the council elections or not? This needs clarifying.

The NHS may or may not get some surprises in any consultation but, afterall, this is our NHS and the view and role of clinicians is only one part of this debate in their need to save money. The public must be listened to.

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HowardM says...
11:43am Wed 27 Feb 13

Whilst, on the face of it, this may be good news specifically for Kidderminster, the "nuts and bolts" still to be put in place will give a clearer view over the next few months of exactly what the impact will be on countywide services. Worcester already has considerable issues of capacity in dealing with high A&E demand and, currently, often diverts overloads to Redditch. It seems this option will be reduced or ultimately, lost. It is not clear how Worcester A&E will meet the additional and continuing capacity requirement.
Also with a major reconfiguation of the Ambulance service already being planned it is interesting to note the Press Release put out by the Trust suggested that discussions about capacity and the Ambulance services ability to meet demand was of major inportance to their proposals.
There are still some fundamental questions to be asked and the Trust's answers will be interesting.

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Shibdrift says...
12:19pm Wed 27 Feb 13

"No threat"??!

Isn't that what every football manager hears just as they get thrown out of the door?

As for "public consultation" - don't make me laugh.

More detritus from on high.

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FranOb says...
5:14pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Pre-consultation in May. Full Formal Public Consultation in the Summer. Will know more after JSR Stakeholder Reference Board on March 8th.

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DOEPUBLIC says...
1:04am Fri 1 Mar 13

How can such changes to the provision at Redditch be seen as good news?
It would appear that the true reality is still being hidden behind deliberately poor communication,creati
ve phrases and cynical use of structures. The present delay of the consultation period shows the poverty of research in the initial materials presented. There needs to be Urgent Care Centred on all the assets of our health service to ensure compassion for all, not just political and financial comfort for the few. Sadly it would appear vested interests will profit from creating a market place of the vulnerable.

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HowardM says...
12:10pm Fri 1 Mar 13

DOEPUBLIC - I agree totally and anyone who believes otherwise is in denial or very naive.

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Stephen Brown says...
4:13pm Fri 1 Mar 13

And what about when the CCG's are forced to 'marketise' out (and not favour NHS providers) under the new Health Act passed last year and supported by our MP? What then?

All the talk of 'saving' Kidderminster Hospital will be exactly that...talk... if the CCG are forced by the Act to look elsewhere, despite their best intentions to use our existing NHS facilities, if a private sector operator complains.

Redditch people need to make their voices heard and I hope they do; but like DOEPUBLIC says, ultimately any downgrading of any facility is not good or welcome news universally despite what it might mean for Kidderminster and Wyre Forest being a 'qualified' safe(er).

All of this puts to bed any notion that the NHS is safe in Tory hands...it simply is not as funding is squeezed and the double-talk continues at anational level in Govt.

Worcestershire is a big county and deserves more than one A&E but the money and the clinicians have more influence than the people at present it seems.

I find it difficult to criticise the level of engagment the NHS has had with the Hospital Alliance as it has been good, but what can be criticised is the underpin of all this - NHS funding and Govt policy which are working against the people.

This is no time to feel any sense of relief. The worst is yet to come I fear.............

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DOEPUBLIC says...
5:13pm Mon 4 Mar 13

https://secure.38deg
rees.org.uk/page/spe
akout/nhs-section-75
-legal-advice-speako
ut

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