IT has been two years since the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust announced the start of the Joint Strategic Review into acute hospital services in Worcestershire.

This was scheduled to take around a year to complete. Two years later, and we have only just got an agreed proposal to take forward.

The intervening years have seen uncertainty for service users at Redditch, and for staff at the acute trust in general. Indeed, the experience of campaigners at the Alex in Redditch is familiar to those Kidderminster campaigners a decade ago.

THE outcome of the latest announcement on the Acute Services Review (different name, same problem) is that two, three-hospital solutions will go forward for public and financial scrutiny. These options provide, we are told, financial and medical stability for both the county and for the acute trust. All being well, with no unpleasant surprises, at worst there will be a neutral outcome for Kidderminster Hospital; at best an increase in local services. This has broadly been the case ever since this process started, but what has been crucial behind this outcome is the political response here in Wyre Forest.

At the start of this process all political parties joined forces to put forward a united front on this important local issue. All political differences were forgotten in order to make sure that we all represented, in the best way we could, the interests of the community we serve.

The Kidderminster Hospital Alliance has, I genuinely believe, made a positive difference for us here in Wyre Forest. It is, in itself, a tribute to the individuals who have left ideological differences at the meeting room door to make sure that we all get the right outcome locally. And to everyone’s credit, no-one has broken ranks, claiming their ‘save the hospital’ campaign is better than anyone else’s.

We aren’t through the woods just yet. Until the proposals are signed, sealed and delivered, there will always be a question mark over the outcome. But that is why the KHA is still holding together to make sure that we speak together on behalf of the whole community. After all, that is why we are all in politics and we all agree (at least on this point): there is no better way to serve our community than coming together behind an important local issue.

CONTACT YOUR MP

  • Email: mark.garnier.mp@parliament.uk
  • Telephone: 020 7219 7198 or 01562 746771
  • Write: 9a Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU, or House of Commons, Westminster, London