TWO doctors tried to reassure pensioners about a controversial transfer of beds out of Wycombe Hospital, saying their colleagues back the plans.
The GPs spoke up at a consultation meeting in Marlow, where pensioners expressed fears that moving several specialist services to Stoke Mandeville would compromise patient safety.
See link below for details about the plans.
Towards the end of the meeting Ronan O’Connor, a public relations chief for the Bucks NHS, insisted the changes are being driven and supported by clinicians and GPs.
When several residents demanded the GPs speak up, Mr O’Connor turned to Dr Annet Gammell, who has signed up to the plans as chairman of a new GP consortium in south Bucks.
Seeing she had left the meeting, residents then asked a Marlow GP in the audience to give her views.
Dr Anne Galvin, of The Doctors House surgery on Victoria Road, replied: “The GPs do support the decisions....We can’t have everything everywhere anymore. It’s not an efficient or effective service.”
She said medicine has become more complicated, specialist and expensive, adding: “I really do feel if it were me with various illnesses I’d want to go to the place that does it best.”
Dr Peter Newman, from Hawthornden Surgery in Bourne End, later said backed these comments, saying there had been a “very thorough” consultation with GPs.
The Bucks Free Press understands there are some GPs who oppose the changes, but a majority are in favour.
Meanwhile, Marlow campaigner Terry Price demanded health chiefs explore all the options for Wycombe Hospital, saying they “should provide all the information to the people because you can’t make a fully informed decision”.
He told the meeting at Court Garden on Thursday: “Your consultation is biased. It’s not what the vast majority of Buckinghamshire people want.”
Graz Luzzi, medical director for the Bucks’ hospitals, said most of the options were clearly not achievable due to financial limitations.
He said patients needing specilaist medical care will "get better results even though you have to travel further", stressing the importance of paramdeics.
When questioned about the need for urgent treatment for some conditions, such as acute abdminal problems, Dr Luzzi said: "The ambulance will provide some pre-hospital care....
"Things can happen on the way. There are all sorts of ways they can actually keep the patient going. That paramedic care is really a critical part of making the patient safe."
The consultation process is being run by the NHS Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Cluster.
