Minister gives hope of hospital upgrade
A commitment by a health minister to visit Newark Hospital has been welcomed by the town’s MP and hospital campaigners.
Speaking in the House of Commons Dr Daniel Poulter, the parliamentary under secretary of state for health, said the development of services at Newark, including a possible upgrade of the minor injuries unit (MIU) could bring revenue into the health trust and better serve the needs of a growing population.
He was speaking at an adjournment debate organised by the MP for Newark, Mr Patrick Mercer, on Monday.
Mr Mercer said he was pleased with the outcome.
“Dr Poulter has opened the door further than has previously been the case,” he said.
“I am not underestimating the difficulties, but if there is a debate going on locally between the health trust and doctors, then a minister stepping in to try to help the situation has got to be a good thing.”
Mr Paul Baggaley, the secretary of the Say Yes To Newark Hospital Campaign, said: “The minister said services should be developed for the benefit of local people.
“The visit gives local people a chance to say what they think.”
Dr Poulter said the contents of a report by the independent watchdog, Monitor, into Sherwood Forest Health NHS Foundation Trust suggested more could be done to develop services for local patients at Newark Hospital, which in turn could also help it to cater for an increasing population and bring money into the trust.
He said enhancing the MIU could play a part in that.
He said it was also important that Newark’s location was taken into account in the review of East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and that it was unacceptable if patients in rural areas had to wait a long time for life-saving treatment.
He said he would take up Mr Mercer’s invitation to visit the hospital and speak to staff and patients.
Mr Mercer told the debate that the upgrading of the MIU to accept more cases and an improvement in the ambulance service, including taking more cases to Newark, was central to the town’s healthcare model working.
He told the Advertiser he was pleased Dr Poulter agreed that services at Newark should be extended if it made clinical and financial sense, and will meet him again on February 4.
Mr Baggaley, who attended the debate, welcomed the comments about the MIU and EMAS.
“It would mean people from Newark would have confidence to go to Newark Hospital and take the strain off EMAS, because at the moment they don’t.
“I hope there is now an acknowledgement that people in Newark have had a raw deal, because it is clear that we have.
“All we got from Simon Burns, the previous health minister, was a dead bat and this seems to be progress on that.
“Maybe it’s because he is a doctor himself, but Dr Poulter seemed to put some of his own thoughts into it, so overall we are quite pleased.”
