Hospital closure
threat triggers wave of protest
Gazette & Herald
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk
23rd March 2006
By Zoë Mills
FEARS have grown this week that
Chippenham Hospital could be closed as part of cuts by cash-strapped
health bosses.
North Wiltshire MP James Gray has joined forces with the
Gazette to launch a campaign to save the hospital after Kennet
and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust chief executive Carol
Clarke refused to give him any assurance the hospital was
safe. If the hospital closes it will mean people in Chippenham
and the local area will have to travel further to get the
medical care they need.
Coun Jane Scott, leader of Wiltshire County Council, said
she was absolutely horrified at the news. "This doesn't
stack up to me, and I'm very, very concerned," she said.
"We are hearing from the health minister that community
hospitals are an integral part of the health system, but in
Wiltshire we are closing them all down. It is really worrying
I thought Chippenham Hospital was safe."
Roger Davey, spokesman for the union UNISON, who fought to
save Malmesbury and Westbury hospitals, said shutting Chippenham
would be a disastrous step. "A cutback like this would
cause hundreds of redundancies and even the collapse of NHS
provision in Wiltshire," he said. "There may be
changes in terms of the number of beds, but I do believe Chippenham
is more secure than some of the other hospitals. I think the
PCT is aiming for just one or two community hospitals in Wiltshire,
and will close the rest over a couple of year period. The
PCT's financial state is such that its vision for a non-hospital
based service is becoming more of a reality."
A spokesman for the PCT, which needs to find savings of £18
million, said a public consultation on the review of health
services would be launched on April 7. The spokesman said:
"It is inappropriate to speculate on the detailed proposals
for any individual service, or indeed, building. We hope that
people will be open-minded about our proposals, and about
why we see them delivering more benefits to a greater number
of patients.
"The consultation will be proposing that we treat more
patients in a way that is better for them, often closer to
home (either at home or in their GP surgeries) and that we
provide the most appropriate care that our patients want and
need."
Site could be worth £14 million CHIPPENHAM Hospital's
prime spot on the peak of Rowden Hill means it could be worth
up to £14 million if it was sold for housing. The 11.8
acre site could be sold off at up to £1.2 million an
acre if it had planning permission for homes. A developer
would be likely to build luxury four or five bedroom houses
that would sell at around £400,000 each. Four bedded
homes in nearby Rowden Hill are currently on the market for
around that figure while semi-detached houses in Burleaze
and Rowden Road go for up £225,000. The price of the
land would be even higher but for new rules that insists developers
must include a large number of affordable homes in the mix.
Cash from the sale would go along way to helping Kennet and
North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust to pay off its debts.
It could boost its coffers even further if the canal-side
at the moment occupied by Devizes Hospital was also sold along
with the land earmarked for a new Devizes unit opposite Green
Lane Hospital. Housing land in both Chippenham and Devizes
is in big demand with developers. At the moment house builders
are being forced to try for planning permission on farming
land on the outskirts of both towns as there is little land
available in the town centres. One estate agent said: "Housing
land is very sought-after in Chippenham town centre and there
would be plenty of people queuing up to buy the hospital site
if it was for sale."
Why we must preserve Chippeham
Hospital - North Wilts MP Mr James Gray
"Why we all must fight for health MY experience in nine
years as an MP is that Chippenham Hospital provides an outstanding
service for the people of a very wide area. There are some
top class facilities there, like the stroke unit and the cardiac
department. And local provision of healthcare such as that
found in the hospital is exactly what the Government keeps
telling us we ought to have. It is a vitally important facility
for the whole area, and I shall fight to my last breath to
keep it open."
" That is where people power comes in. I am calling
together a campaign committee which will be launching a series
of activities over the coming weeks. I hope
to deliver one of the largest petitions ever
to Parliament. I will be asking for a massive letter writing
campaign to the PCT. You can also register your protest with
the form below. Let's see the post office
laying on extra vans to carry all the letters we shall be
writing.
I will be raising the issue actively in Parliament, and have
already applied for an emergency adjournment debate on it.
The Gazette and Herald and Lyneham Village Online
will help galvanise local activity against what no one in
the community with the possible exception of Patricia Hewitt's
turnaround director who started work this week actually wants.
We love our Chippenham Hospital, and will leave no stone unturned
in our campaign to keep it open.
Your help is needed, it would be very grateful if you would
photocopy the attached petition form and then use your best
to achieve as many signatures as you can within the next week
or two. Please return the completed forms to Zoë Mills,
Wiltshire Gazette and Herald, 31 Market Place, Chippenham,
Wiltshire, SN15 3HP.
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