MP and Council JOINT APPROACH

Last week we were able to meet with Hilary Armstrong MP for a second time this Summer to express our concerns over the future of Shotley Bridge Hospital.

At the end of the meeting we agreed that a joint letter from ourselves could be a way of ensuring that the local health trusts understood the depth of concern that local people feel and that a way to answer their questions was to produce a clear statement of intent.

This was the press release we agreed today and we hope local newspapers will run the story.

Alex Watson Council Leader “I know that local people want to see Shotley Bridge Hospital thrive and we as a local council want to be part of making the best of Shotley Bridge as a first class community hospital.”

Hilary Armstrong revealed “Alex and I have written to ask for a period of stability at the hospital and the involvement of staff and patients in a stakeholder group which is tasked with taking forward the positive ideas from the Tribal reports and turning them into real service improvements”

We were able to add to our statement that the County Council would also be backing that position:

County Council members meeting with Hilary Armstrong today endorsed the contents of the letter which they hope will see the greater involvement of GPs in particular who can bring a solid understanding of local needs and the service developments that will make Shotley Bridge Hospital a success story.

I hope we can expect a positive response from the chief executives of the two trusts involved and they in turn can rely on our support for any actions that will help our hospital.

Alex Watson