I've worked closely with Norman Lamb (MP for North Norfolk) on his campaigns for many years, since well before his election as MP and since then also, and a recurring theme has always been trying to stave off closures and cuts in North Norfolk's cottage hospitals.
North Norfolk, for those who do not know, is served by one of the worst road networks in Britain with it taking a good hour or more just to reach the edge of Norwich from Wells, and to get the the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital requires you to drive along the un-official Northern By-pass (don't mention it to the Green's, they'll tell you it doesn't exist) through Costessey or Honingham, which will turn a 35 mile journey in to an hour and a half of hell. So there are strong reasons for needing North Norfolk's cottage hospitals. When you also take in to accoun the elderly nature of the population of North Norfolk, this need becomes even stronger.
So why is the Kelling Hospital at Holt, Benjamin Court at Cromer, North Walsham cottage hospital, and one would guess Wells cottage hospital too facing new threats ?
Well it appears that the new Norfolk wide Primary Care Trust (PCT) is looking to make cuts, and as with everything that is Norfolk wide, services tend to become centred on Norwich, whilst the rest of the County has to suffer. This is something that Norman Lamb is trying to campaign against, as highlighted by the EDP http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED06%20Oct%202006%2017%3A48%3A09%3A097
The real answer would be for the Labour government to really say they value cottage hospitals and to provide proper funding for the PCT to support cottage hospitals. As with all things like this, if we lose a cottage hospital, they rarely re-open and they are gone forever. North Norfolk cannot afford to let this happen.
4 comments:
Nich, you are completely right. What Labour is doing to small hospitals is nothing short of a disgrace. I thought things were bad when I lived in North Norfolk but it seems things have progressively got worse and all the small hopsitals are under threat.
The even more terrible thing is that you can be sure if North Norfolk was a Labour marginal these things wouldnt be happening.
Iain,
For the first time ever, we agree.
P.S. Your blogger picture is also much improved. You look much less smug, and I mean that in a positive way.
thanks...I think!
It was meant to be a nice comment. About time some "calm, nice and positive words" were used, I thought.
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