Newark Healthcare review 
 

The people of Newark have left health bosses in no doubt that they want round-the-clock emergency care at Newark Hospital.

Nearly three-quarters of those who responded to NHS Nottinghamshire County’s 14-week public consultation on the Newark Healthcare Review wanted to keep the town’s emergency unit open 24 hours.

The consultation process involved a massive public relations campaign led by NHS Nottinghamshire County’s communications team.

More than 15,000 consultation documents were printed at a cost of 60p per copy and made available to residents through libraries, schools, GP surgeries, bus stations and other outlets.

The Save Newark Hospital Campaign will put forward alternative proposals to the two urgent care options at a public meeting on Wednesday.

The chairman of the campaign, Dr Ian Campbell, said they would produce an argument for extending the services provided at Newark.

The need for improvements in mental health services for older people in Newark was highlighted during the consultation.

Criticism was directed at the lack of services and concern was raised about increased travelling for relatives and carers.

NHS Nottinghamshire County’s consultation on its proposed changes to Newark’s healthcare services ran from November 30 to March 6.

The reasons given for the changes were to ensure services met national standards, to take into account national NHS plans for specialist heart, stroke and major trauma centres, to deal with an expected population growth, and to tackle health inequalities.

Newark and Sherwood District Council and Newark Town Council have asked for their responses recorded in the consultation report to be changed.

The report, which goes to the PCT’s board on Thursday, gives summary responses of key organisations consulted during the process.

More than 350 people formed a human chain around the boundary fence of Newark Hospital at noon today.

The demonstration was organised by the Save Newark Hospital group to give residents the chance to show how they feel about the hospital.

Assurances have been given over the future of Newark Hospital.

They came at a meeting of the board of governors of the NHS trust that manages Newark Hospital, Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust.

An independent report into emergency ambulance services in the Newark area should be made public.

That was one of three recommendations by Nottinghamshire County Council’s NHS Services in Newark Review group that were approved by cabinet on Wednesday.

Campaigners are calling on people to show how much they care about the future of Newark Hospital by forming a 250-strong human chain outside the site.

The demonstration, at noon on Monday, is being organised by the Save Newark Hospital group to give people a chance to object to proposals for the hospital.

There are fears the options for mental health services for older people in Newark are being overlooked.

Newark Hospital's Friary ward, which cared for older patients with mental health problems, has been closed for about two months.

Supporters of Newark Hospital have launched a new petition with a third option for the reclassification of the accident and emergency unit.

Town councillors Mr Laurence Goff and Mr Harry Molyneux are asking people to sign in support of one of three options.

Doctors at the NHS trust that runs Newark Hospital want its future casualty department to open 24 hours a day.

There is support for an urgent care centre at the hospital, an option being put forward as an alternative to NHS Nottinghamshire County's two proposals for the department — a minor injuries unit ‘plus’ open either 24 hours a day, or from 7am to midnight.

A new petition about the future of the casualty department at Newark Hospital has been signed by 400 people over the weekend with all but one calling for an urgent care centre.

Town councillors Mr Laurence Goff and Mr Harry Molyneux have organised the petition and will be outside Morrisons or Newark Town Hall collecting signatures this week.

The 90-day public consultation over the proposals for healthcare in Newark was officially launched at Newark Hospital on Monday.

A display board giving information about the review will remain in the entrance throughout the consultation.

Newark people are passionate about their hospital and want to be treated there when they are ill, district councillor Mrs Gill Dawn told colleagues on Tuesday.

Her comments came after a health review presentation by officers from NHS Nottinghamshire County to Newark and Sherwood District Council's external relations and partnerships scrutiny committee.

NHS Nottinghamshire County's director of public health, Dr Chris Kenny, used the launch as an opportunity to guarantee Newark Hospital would not close.

"It is a safe, modern and much-loved organisation which we intend to build upon in terms of long-term conditions and planned care," he said.

A widow whose husband died at King's Mill Hospital has described her experience of travelling there as shocking.

Mrs Patricia Lamb (74) of Lime Grove, Newark, faced a lone daily bus journey to Sutton-in-Ashfield to see her husband, Mr George Lamb.

Former patients have hit out at plans to take heart attack victims immediately to a specialist treatment centre.

Mr Derek Ingamells (63) of Robert Dukeson Avenue, Newark, spent 12 days in Newark Hospital after having a heart attack a month ago.

The board of NHS Nottinghamshire County approved the health review consultation document at a meeting in Newark Town Hall.

A non-executive director, Mr Colin Harrison, said he thought the document could have been improved if there had been more time. He said the options for mental health were not set out as clearly as they could be.

It is the second time in recent years that fears for the future of Newark Hospital have been sparked by revelations about its accident and emergency department.

In 2003 the Advertiser obtained a memo issued to ambulance staff with a list of types of patients who should not be taken to Newark.

A 14-year-old has set up a group page on Facebook urging people to call for all facilities to be kept at Newark Hospital.

Cara Hansen, of Wright Street, set up the page on Sunday after reading in the Advertiser about the proposals to change accident and emergency to a minor injuries unit.

A petition against the changes to accident and emergency cover at Newark has topped 3,000 signatures.

Newark town councillor Mr Laurence Goff launched the petition on Wednesday of last week and has been collecting signatures outside the Town Hall.

A Government minister has responded to a request from the MP for Newark, Mr Patrick Mercer, about the Department of Health's intentions for Newark Hospital.

The minister responsible for health services in the East Midlands, Mr Phil Hope, said deciding how and where to provide NHS services was a matter for the local NHS in conjunction with health professionals, patients and other stakeholders.

A former Newark Hospital employee said there were often no ambulances available in Newark because they were making unnecessary trips to other hospitals.

They said: "In the past people who attended Newark accident and emergency and needed to be observed overnight were admitted to the surgical ward."

Newark's Boundary Road hospital opened in 1996, replacing the one on London Road.

Before it opened, promises were made by the health authorities that it would offer facilities and services of which the town could be proud.

Criticism has been directed at plans to shift key services such as heart attack care away from Newark.

Proposals put forward as part of the Newark Healthcare Review will see heart attack victims treated at specialist centres rather than at Newark Hospital.

Advertiser readers are today urged to act to protect what is left of services at Newark Hospital after health chiefs admitted it can no longer support an accident and emergency department.

People in the town this week reacted angrily to a decision by NHS Nottinghamshire County to change A & E to a minor injuries unit.

Health bosses have repeatedly emphasised that Newark Hospital will not close.

Dr Chris Kenny, director of public health for NHS Nottinghamshire County, said: "I would like to take this opportunity to guarantee that Newark Hospital will not close. "

Despite its name, Newark is not a full A & E department because it does not meet national guidelines, according to NHS Nottinghamshire County.

The Royal College of Physicians states that a full round-the-clock emergency service can only accept medical emergencies if it has intensive care beds, 24-hour anaesthetics cover including life support, access to major surgical facilities, and enough patients for doctors to develop and maintain the right medical skills.

The changes to the A & E service at Newark Hospital are the main part of NHS Nottinghamshire County's Newark Healthcare Review.

The first option is for A & E to become a minor injuries unit plus (MIU+).

There are plans to increase the range and availability of outpatient services and diagnostic tests at Newark Hospital.

There are also plans for more GPs and nurses and the public will be asked for their views on where the GPs should be based.

Mother-of-two Mrs Juliet Mumby (23) of Barnby Mews, Newark, described the plans for Newark A & E as disgraceful.

She is urging people to attend public meetings and speak out.

 

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