‘Apathy of leaders was a clear message for hospital future’
IT IS WHAT the CCG chief Marcus Warnes doesn’t say in his letter in last week’s Post & Times that may hold a clue to the future of our Leek Moorlands Hospital.
As the accountability officer for the North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) he refers to ‘scaremongering’ and ‘misinformation’ on the part of the Save Leek Hospital campaigners
He then goes on to assure us the services will be ‘centred around each patient’ and will be ‘delivered in the right place and by the right team’ and that a period of ‘consultation’ is coming
Which services? In which location? Consultation after the plans are set and buildings bought? And when is a hospital not a hospital?
What the highly paid officer did not say was that the hospital will be staying open, that it will receive future investment, that delivery of services from the hospital site will increase, and that we will get the 38 beds and two wards closed down back in service for the people of Leek and the Staffordshire Moorlands
The whole saga is about money of course and the potential dismantling of the various services away from the Leek Moorlands Hospital and services being cast to the four winds.
It is about putting these geographically elsewhere - and some believe - the repositioning of these services for potential privatisation.
This Conservative government-led initiative is clearly not going to serve a growing demographic of older people – and a planned increase of thousands of new and growing families in thousands of new homes
Well – a reduced hospital site is an obvious contender for a new housing development isn’t it?
The various sound bites that have come from Councillor Sybil Ralphs SMDC – and our MP Rt Hon Karen Bradley have not offered answers to those vital questions either – instead they evade those key questions that the public have been asking repeatedly.
The chairs of SMDC and County Health Boards, the leader of SMDC and our MP all failed to meet the people and town councillors at the Special Meeting of Leek Town Council on September 4.
Their apathy was apparent and it sent a clear message to all – our Leek Moorlands Hospital and our locally based services are not safe in their hands
According to the NHS website “Leek Moorlands Hospital has two wards with a total of 44 beds and also has a minor injuries and illnesses unit.
“Outpatient services provided at Leek Moorlands Hospital include: carers hub, colorectal, dermatology, ent, falls, general medicine, general surgery, gynae, health visitors, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, paediatric, paediatric occupational therapy, impact pain, podiatry, renal respiratory, diabetic, inr, memory clinic, district nursing, rheumatology, multiple sclerosis, physiotherapy, neurology, pulmonary rehab, cardiology, weight management, speech therapy, and ultrasound.”
We need this hospital back as it should be Mr Warnes – and we will continue to fight for it!
Councillor Stephen Wales Leek Town Council