Cossham decision referred to health secretary

Angry campaigners have been told there is no budget for a million pound minor injuries unit at Cossham Hospital and it would make no “significant” impact on referrals to emergency departments.

South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was met with barracking by some 200 people at a heated meeting at the Civic Centre in Kingswood.

Members of the Public Health and Health Scrutiny Committee unanimously voted to refer the decision to the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, saying they had no confidence in the provision of minor injury care in the area.

Dr Jonathan Hayes, chairman of the CCG, said he was “disappointed but not surprised” at the decision, and they “recognise the strength of feeling…we will reflect on what we have heard”.

Campaigner Reg Bennett, from Save Cossham Hospital Group, said: “I feel it’s justified – we’ve been arguing about arguing. They’ve made no decision and it’s been two years and they are back to square one.”

Chris Skidmore, MP for Kingswood, said he will personally meet Mr Hunt “to ensure that he refers this to the independent re-configuration panel. But this will again mean a further delay, it will freeze things for six months”.

More than 200 people turned up for the meeting and handed over a petition, signed by some 17,000 people, calling for a minor injuries clinic at the hospital.

However, the CCG want to pilot a scheme of providing minor injuries clinics at GP surgeries, but could not provide any detail of which surgeries will take part and where they would be.

Project director Ben Bennett, NHS SW Commissioning Support Unit, said he wanted to come to the meeting with answers, but he didn’t have them at the at the moment and, while minor injuries are “important,” they are “not a priority”.

Dr Hayes of the CCG said: “Viewing plans for a minor injuries unit in isolation of these wider considerations would not clinically be in the best interests of the 266,000 total population served by the CCG – and would be ignoring the challenging position both nationally and locally of an urgent care system.”

However, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Kinsgwood Jo McCarron said: “Even the basic questions like where they are actually going to put the services couldn’t be answered so for the residents that is really, really frustrating. They are told that this is the best solution for them, but how can the CCG know that this is the best solution for them if they don’t even know where they are going to be putting it yet?

Question of money

Skidmore said: “This side of Bristol is missing out, compared to the rest of Bristol that gets a spanking brand new £500million hospital at Southmead. Everyone pays their taxes and everyone deserves to have equal share of healthcare. And I feel that on this side of Bristol this is not currently the case.”

Dr Ann Sephton, deputy chair of the CCG, said she recognised the population of the area had increased and the budget had not increased proportionally and that’s why they have to be careful with money. She called for support for lobbying for more money as she felt the area was “well below fair shares”.

The CCG have until the next meeting of the health committee on 21st January 2015 to review it’s position.