LOCAL MP, Graham Stuart, has paid tribute to campaigners who have battled long and hard to save their community hospitals. The local Primary Care Trust (PCT) was overwhelmed by the number of responses it received about its plans to remove NHS beds from community hospitals in Beverley, Driffield, Hornsea and Withernsea. At its Board meeting on 23rd May the PCT decided to keep the bedded unit at Beverley and look again at the units at Driffield, Hornsea and Withernsea.
Graham said, “The Primary Care Trust’s decision to retain beds in Beverley is a major victory for local campaigners. We told the PCT that its proposals were not acceptable and, to its credit, it has listened. Local people know the value of the services because they and their families use them.”
The PCT received a staggering 3,559 responses to their consultation, with over 20,000 people signing local petitions. Concerns ranged from fears about patient safety, to worries about transport and the ability of both patients and families to access services. Residents in Holderness are still on a knife-edge, waiting to hear about the fate of Hornsea and Withernsea hospitals.
Graham said: “Saving Beverley’s ward is not enough. People in Hornsea, Withernsea and their surrounding villages deserve access to local services too. The GPs in both towns say there is a need for local beds and I will keep arguing the case until we have secured success.”
