Marlow Community Hospital, Buckinghamshire beds re-open but future not guaranteed (From Bucks Free Press)
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Marlow Community Hospital, Buckinghamshire beds re-open but future not guaranteed
2:26pm Wednesday 27th January 2010 in
BEDS are to re-open at Marlow Community Hospital – but concerns remain over its future as bosses say the site is not fit for purpose.
The overnight beds were closed in November because leaking pipes had reduced the water pressure, meaning staff could not clean bed-pans.
Bosses at NHS Buckinghamshire yesterday agreed to spend £38,526 to provide a new mains water supply.
But it said this was a temporary measure and should only be in place for up to three months.
A report says: “There would need to be a further rapid decision on inpatient beds at Marlow Hospital in the context of the further review of community hospital capacity generally.”
It says the changes, the cheapest of four options, ‘will no longer provide a sustainable and safe environment’ for overnight patients.
It ‘became clear that there were a number of aspects regarding the inpatient environment needing to be addressed’ during investigations, it found.
The other options were: permanent upgrading of the water supply (£313,062); addressing ‘infection control risks and the privacy and dignity requirements’ (£359,725) and the previous option and more refurbishment (£1.6m).
Mike Gilbert, chairman of Marlow Bottom Valley Plus, an older people’s pressure group, said: “I am concerned the hospital will be there in the future.”
He said: “It is a very unclear situation. The whole population is right to be concerned.”
In 2008 the authority – formerly the Buckinghamshire NHS Primary Care Trust – closed overnight beds at the Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross Hospital in Chalfont St Peter, citing a fire risk to patients.
And Buckinghamshire NHS Hospitals Trust is axing day clinics at Amersham Hospital. It is talking to social services chiefs over plans to put a nursing home on the site.
The NHSB also agreed to yesterday back letting the hospital authority run NHSB community hospitals, including Marlow and the Chalfonts.
It hopes this will let NHSB focus on where cash is spent rather than providing services. It chose the hospital trust over Oxford and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Foundation Trust.
Ed Macalister-Smith, NHSB chief executive, said the move ‘will benefit patients across Buckinghamshire’ as services will be run by one organisation.
And Anne Eden, chief executive of the hospital trust, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to develop a strong and robust working relationship and improve communications between different healthcare professionals.”
An NHSB press release said ‘GPs in Buckinghamshire have shown their support for these new arrangements’.
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Comments(3)
J B Blackett
says...
6:20pm Wed 27 Jan 10
Watcher97
says...
1:37pm Thu 28 Jan 10
Why did that piece of news which is a major change have to be "wrapped up" in a story about pipes being repaired at Marlow Community hospital.
As both NHS bucks and BHT both came out of a recent national report as being among the few poor health authorities in terms of finance how much faith can we, the public have in a system that hands the running of community health from one organisation to another both of whom were described as poor in a the report.
The "Challenge" BHT is to run services that people need in this county.
No doubt service will be cut to the bare minimum in a desparate attempt to acheive savings so that the hospital trust can use to become a foundation. How will becoming a foundation trust increase and improve patient services??
Lets start telling the truth.
Services are not being rationalised or turned into "centres of excellence" they are being cut.
NHS Bucks formerly know as the PCT and BHT are both in debt. Services are dissapearing from our hospitals.
The population of bucks is growing, presumably bucks must be a super healthy place to live because people don't need local services and services can be cut year on year. And Amersham may turn into a nursing home, good it's probably needed and would free up beds in the hospitals but it's yet another cut in services meaning even more people heading to Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe hospitals clogging up the roads and trying to find somewhere to park.
oh and just one final thing!! when will Miss Eden be announcing more cuts because they have had an unexpected rise in demand on services. Unexpected means unusual you can't say it year on year without it sounding a bit ridiculous so please don't insult us by doing so.
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Doom says...
5:26pm Wed 27 Jan 10
oh god, here we go, usual rhetoric, the only word she didnt use was "challenging" there are never problems, just challenges. Well our "challenge" is to get these people out of their position of power. We will never forgive this lot for closing A&E, moving childrens services and closing the labour ward.Was all that a "fantastic opportunity " too?? Tw*ts