Support grows for fresh hospital review
Support is growing for an independent review into changes at Newark Hospital.
Newark and Sherwood district councillors are among the latest to back calls by the Save Newark Hospital Campaign for a review into changing the hospital’s accident and emergency unit to a minor injuries unit plus.
Campaign members Mr Paul Baggaley and Mr Francis Towndrow explained the need for a review to the district’s external relations committee, who gave their backing although this is yet to be agreed by the full council.
Mr Baggaley said they also had the backing of councils at Balderton, Southwell, Collingham, Fernwood, Farndon, Sutton-on-Trent and Long Bennington.
The campaign group is trying to build contacts and collaborations with GPs.
It is trying to arrange a meeting with the trust that manages Bassetlaw General Hospital and Doncaster Royal Infirmary, which Mr Baggaley said was run more as a partnership than the “big brother, little brother” arrangement between King’s Mill, Sutton-in-Ashfield, and Newark Hospital.
Mr Baggaley questioned the means by which patients and families could travel between Newark and Sutton-in-Ashfield.
He said there was a free bus service between Worksop and Doncaster every 45 minutes.
He said there needed to be more than the two ambulances currently provided for Newark.
The committee chairman, Mr Kevin Rontree, said his committee was confident of meeting representatives of Bassetlaw General Hospital and Doncaster Royal Infirmary and would try to invite members of the campaign group too, should it be possible.
Newark town councillors are also backing the calls for a review and will write to the Secretary of State for Health, Mr Andrew Lansley, the Minister for Health, Mr Simon Burns, and the MP for Newark, Mr Patrick Mercer.
The council leader, Mr Max Cope, said: “The presentation (by the campaign group) was useful and informative, and it would be churlish and wrong of us not to support their request.”
At Fernwood Parish Council, members also offered their support.
The parish council chairman, Mr Neill Mison, said: “Based on the arguments that were put before us, we have decided to support the campaign.”
Mr Towndrow said the call for an independent review had the support of the majority of people in Newark and district.