Not in my hospital: the delicate process of NHS reforms

[Northerner]

'It's all about peace of mind," said John Blackie. The leader of Richmondshire district council is explaining why the people he represents in the Yorkshire Dales are so opposed to the maternity unit and children's services disappearing from the local hospital, the Friarage in Northallerton. For people in Hawes, where he runs the Bay Tree Cafe, local already means at least an hour's drive east along country roads to get to Northallerton 36 miles away. Under local NHS plans to improve quality of care for people in North Yorkshire and Teesside, these two units will be shifted to Middlesbrough's James Cook hospital, another 24 miles and ahalf hour's drive past the Friarage.

"Our nearest out of hours GP is 25 miles away in Catterick and we're 36 miles away from an A&E. These plans mean we will be 60 miles from a consultant-led maternity unit. At times when you need immediate, urgent or unplanned healthcare, you want to be able to get somewhere pretty quickly. These long distances rest uneasily in your mind. You are a long way from help. You feel isolated and remote, and that the NHS has overlooked you, even though it's meant to be a universal service," said Blackie.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/24/hospital-nhs-reforms

 

[trophywench]

Well wherever you look at, you will find those problems already.

We live in a suburb of a city; to access A&E is a car journey of approx 20 mins on a good day, 8 miles distant. We are both to the east of the city so by bus, it's into the city, walk between bus stops and get on another. No direct service. About an hour so that would be out, consequently most people would have to dial 999.

Kidderminster is an interesting comparison to Hawes, having lost their A&E the Karens of this world now have to go all the way to Worcester on blues and twos - from my old house there, 19 miles, 40 minutes. By car or ambulance obviously. Again on a good day! To say nothing of the people in the outlying districts of K; both she and I are/were both relatively close to K town centre.

Recently, I was heartened to hear that People Power in Bridgnorth have got more ambulances stationed there as most of them now have to go to either Telford or Shrewsbury and since they failed to spot my husband's collapsed lung at Shrews a few years ago, even on a stretcher I'd be screaming Take me to Telford !