Thousands sign Alex petition

Buy photos » United - Save The Alex campaigner Neal Stote, Conservative leader Carole Gandy and Labour council leader Bill Hartnett urge residents to back the campaign to save A&E and maternity services at the Alex. Picture by Ian Dipple. (s)

AT LEAST 3,000 people have backed a petition calling for health bosses to drop plans to close A&E and maternity services at the Alexandra Hospital.

Neal Stote, who is leading the Save The Alex campaign, said it was a solid start for the first week but more support was needed.

“The petition is the best way to send the strongest message removal of A&E and Maternity services from the Alexandra Hospital should not be in any plans being considered by the trust. These services are not up for negotiation.”

Redditch MP Karen Lumley and Labour and Conservative councillors on both Redditch Borough and Bromsgrove District Councils have united behind the campaign along with businesses.

Headless Cross based ASAP printing has produced 2,000 petition sheets and 5,000 posters at cost price.

Owner Roy Felton said: “I have had a couple of accidents at work and within a quarter of an hour I have been treated down there. If I had to go to Worcester, I wouldn’t have made it.”

Campaigners will be collecting signatures in the Kingfisher Centre and outside Morrisons tomorrow (Saturday) from 9am.

Here’s how you can get involved in the campaign:

Sign the petition. It is available in shops, pubs and businesses including those in the town centre, the Town Hall, council One Stop Shops, Cutting Edge in Church Hill Centre, YMCA in Church Hill, Steps Bar and Bistro in Headless Cross, Apollo Cinema, the Abbey Stadium and other locations.

It can be signed online by clicking on the link on the home page of this website. You only need to sign it once online, on paper or fill in the coupon in this week's paper.

If you would like a paper petition or to get it emailed to you call Harriet Ernstsons on 01527 588656. Petitions can be returned to us as soon as completed by post or by dropping into our office in Webb House, Church Green East.

The campaign also needs volunteers to help collect signatures and spread the word as well as donations to fund posters and other campaign material. If you are a business or resident and can help email savethealex@hotmail.com or call the number above.

If you are on Twitter tweet your thoughts with the hashtag #savethealex or follow the official campaign @savethealex

THESE are the clinical models being consulted on:

One acute / emergency hospital site (with a full A&E dept)

One acute site with urgent care centre

One hospital treatment centre with MIU

The acute site would have a full A&E and trauma services, emergency medicine, women and children’s services as well as facilities for complex emergency surgery, the most complex planned surgery, outpatients and a full range of support services including diagnostics, pharmacy, laboratories, physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

A second site would offer an urgent care centre and would assess adults referred by their GP or brought in by ambulance with urgent but less complex medical problems. It would also see and treat patients with minor injuries. It would have no emergency surgery facilities. Some patients might need to be transferred to the first site for emergency treatment if their condition got worse.

The second site would also provide most of the outpatient services and planned surgery, along with the appropriate support services. There might be the possibility of a Midwifery Led Unit depending upon whether enough experienced midwives could be recruited and there is sufficient demand to make the service affordable. There would be a children’s rapid access clinic available during daytime hours which GPs could refer to and which would be supported by a children’s community nursing service.

In this model there would be no change to the Kidderminster Treatment Centre.

One acute / emergency hospital site (with a full A&E dept)

One hospital site providing planned surgery with MIU

One hospital treatment centre (includes planned surgery) with MIU

The acute hospital site would be the same as above.

A second hospital site would change to focus on planned surgery, along with the support services this would need including some high dependency care, diagnostic and laboratory facilities. It would also provide a Minor Injuries Unit and outpatients. There would be no facility to see or assess adults with urgent medical problems and no emergency admissions. There might be the possibility of a Midwifery Led Unit subject to the criteria set out above.

There would be a children’s rapid access clinic available during daytime hours which GPs could refer to and which would be supported by a children’s community nursing service.

In this case the separation of emergency care from most planned surgery should reduce disruption of planned surgery due to emergency admissions, and mean the numbers of cancelled operations are dramatically reduced.

There would be no change to the Kidderminster Treatment Centre.

One acute hospital site (with a full A&E dept)

One hospital site providing planned surgery with MIU

The acute site would be the same as in the other two models but would be supported by a range of new primary care and community services. These services would offer care and treatment closer to home and improve care quality and patient experience. They could also provide care which is better integrated with other local services such as social care and mental health teams.

A reduced number of hospital sites will improve recruitment and achievement of the right numbers of consultants to maintain minimum quality standards in all specialities.

Emergency care for the most severely ill patients would be via a single emergency hospital site. Access to planned surgery would reduce from three sites to two sites. However outpatient and diagnostic services would be available in the three existing towns as at present.

A Minor Injuries Unit would be maintained in the third town although not necessarily on the existing site. There might be the possibility of a Midwifery Led Unit. There would be a children’s rapid access clinic available during daytime hours at the second site and in the third town which GPs could refer to and which would be supported by children’s community nursing services.

One acute hospital site (with a full A&E dept)

One acute hospital site with services as set out in the previous models.

A Minor Injuries Unit, outpatient’s and diagnostics facility would be maintained in the second and third towns, although not necessarily on the existing hospital sites.

There might be the possibility of a Midwifery Led Unit. There would be a children’s rapid access clinic available during daytime hours in the second and the third towns which GPs could refer to and which would be supported by children’s community nursing services.

From learning elsewhere, the single hospital site model will greatly improve recruitment and achievement of the right numbers of consultants to maintain minimum quality standards in all specialities.

Emergency care for the most severely ill patients will be available at the single emergency site. These patients would travel by ambulance to their nearest A&E.

It is expected many patients would be able to receive treatment and care through services provided in their own communities which would minimise the need to travel for hospital care.

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