WARD CLOSURE

In answer to recent posts ,it has been difficult to publish the Tribal reports as there has been some disagreement about how and when the reports should be published : We at the local council have distributed the executive summaries of both reports to all of our councillors and every member of the Derwentside Partnership has been sent a copy, other bodies will decide themselves what to do within their own organisations. At Derwentside we would welcome an agreement to make the documents fully available to the public on our website

We as a local council have not stopped trying to move issues on the hospital up the agenda and in recent press articles I set out what I felt were the communities' fears as well as what we would be doing to seek answers to the questions everyone is asking about the future of the hospital.

Here is the most recent article for those who missed it.

The announcement of a ward closure at Shotley Bridge hospital brought more uncertainty for staff and great concern for patients, many have written or rang my office in the last week to tell me of their worries and fears for what is still a valued and much loved facility here in Derwentside.
It has to be said few people who speak to me believe that there is any hope of the trust re-opening ward 4 and consider the mothballing explanation as nothing more than a ruse to sugar coat the pill.
Members of staff have told me not only of their personal positions but also their concern for the rest of the hospital’s services which they feel have been put at further risk by each service withdrawal. There has also been anger at the reasons given for the closure, one letter asked

“If a natural reduction in patients is the explanation can they (the Foundation Trust) explain what these occurrences were,so that the nursing community at large can benefit from such revolutionary working practices?”

The council however has always believed there is a future for the hospital and with funding from the Derwentside Partnership, two reports have been prepared by health consultants which support that view: This district has a population of over 86000 and is expected to grow over the next ten years, we feel sure that government policy over’ care closer to home’ means community hospitals like Shotley Bridge should be part of the plan to provide that care.

Over the next two weeks we will be meeting our GPs, health bosses and the MP whose constituency covers Shotley Bridge to ask what can we do to help secure its future: We think part of the answer is local involvement in running our hospital and that will mean people like you, who are reading this article because they care about Shotley Bridge Hospital, lending your support.
If we can gain the backing of staff and GPs within the area I’m sure we can make a difference

Alex Watson