Hitting back over hospital services

I find it mystifying that the Say Yes To Newark Hospital campaign is willing to continually try to mislead the people of Newark and substitute fact for hearsay and inaccuracy when it comes to the services on offer at Newark Hospital.

In Mr Francis Towndrow’s letter (Services Cut, Advertiser, May 22) he lists a number of wards and services that, he claims, have been closed, reduced or simply got rid of.

He said Friary Ward and Castle Ward had closed. In fact, Friary Ward was managed by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and when their service model changed they no longer required this ward. At the time only three patients were on the ward and they were transferred to Ashfield Health Village. The Fernwood Unit is now on the footprint of what was Friary Ward.

Castle Ward and Sconce Ward were merged to create a medical ward with sufficient capacity to accept direct admissions from MIU/UCC, GPs and patients transferring back to Newark from other hospitals.

There has been no reduction of the pharmacy service at Newark Hospital.

There is a mortuary at Newark and relatives are able to view their loved ones.

Mr Towndrow said pathology has been greatly reduced. Pathology services have been reconfigured with no reduction in service.

Physiotherapy and the blood transfusion service have not been reduced.

Newark switchboard was at the end of its useful life, and the service was therefore transferred to King’s Mill Hospital. Calls are still answered as Newark Hospital.

It has been well publicised that an external review recommended that complex surgery should not return to Newark Hospital. More patients will now receive their care at Newark Hospital as a result of the hospital now treating more patients as a day case without the need for an overnight stay.

It was said the management of Newark Hospital is led by King’s Mill. In fact, Newark Hospital has its own management team and manager.

The facts are clear — Newark Hospital treated 2,000 extra patients last year compared with the year before.

Since February 2013, eight new services have opened at Newark Hospital including the Fernwood Community Unit, urological oncology clinic, Bramley Children’s Unit, sleep apnoea clinic, cardio-respiratory unit, aortic abdominal aneurism clinic, CT colonography and the wheelchair services clinic. Plus, there is more to come with further investment in infrastructure at the hospital.

When I joined the trust I described Newark Hospital as the jewel in our crown and I stick by that.

To continue to say, as Mr Towndrow does, that we have failed to invest in Newark Hospital is simply not true.