Clear trust vision needed

I refer to the As I See It article written by MP Mr Robert Jenrick in last week’s Advertiser and the quote: “I hope the new chief executive of the trust when formally appointed will bring renewed focus and a credible plan and I look forward to working with him or her.’’

How many times in recent years have newly-appointed chiefs promised that Newark Hospital is the ‘jewel in the crown’ or that they want to see a ‘vibrant hospital’ at Newark?

In the last six years there have been seven chief executives of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, including the interim posts, and in that short time the salary for that position has doubled to around £200,000.

In 2013 the Keogh report found an absence of a clear strategy and no clearly articulated future use for the hospital. As a consequence the trust and Newark and Sherwood Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) published a document — A Vision And Strategy Direction For Newark Hospital.

Any new chief executive of the trust will, therefore, have a plan to follow, but worryingly this does not address the fundamental problem of the less serious injuries and illnesses being transferred by ambulance 23 miles for treatment and that associated admissions will not happen after 7pm.

Let us hope our MP can bring political influence to bear so that the CCG commissioners and the trust provide the necessary upgrade to local care currently absent in any published plans. — Francis Towndrow, chairman of Say Yes To Newark Hospital.