Called to account

THE Advertiser does its utmost to hold the trust that manages Newark Hospital to account over the changes made there. The NHS is a national institution and, in keeping with that, this newspaper and its readers believe the town has a hospital to be proud of.

At the annual members meeting of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust, its chairman, Tracy Doucét, claimed public confidence in services at the hospital was being undermined, and that the Advertiser and the Say YES to Newark Hospital campaign group had played a part in that.

The campaigners provide a voice for local people concerned about the future of the hospital, and the Advertiser, rightly, reports on those concerns, and the trust is given the opportunity to respond.

It was telling that nearly all the questions fielded by Tracy Doucét at the annual meeting related to Newark Hospital.

That demonstrates the affection people in this area have for the hospital and their determination to defend it.

The independent health regulator, Monitor, has found the trust to be in breach of its authorisation.

The trust has serious financial problems, due in no small part to its Private Finance Initiative payments for the redevelopment of King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield.

Tracy Doucét and her board must now channel their efforts into resolving the issues Monitor has highlighted and demonstrate, through better communication, that Newark Hospital can properly serve a growing population.