News / Health
‘Underused, but oozing with potential’
We’re used to hearing stories of hospitals turning away patients as they buckle under the pressure of increasing demand.
But who ever heard of a hospital which is crying out for more business, with spare capacity just waiting to be filled?
Welcome to South Bristol NHS Community Hospital in Hengrove, the only community hospital built within a city, still looking shiny and new following its opening in 2012.
is needed now More than ever
Residents of South Bristol had to wait nearly half a century for the introduction of a health service in their area. But it’s still not as busy as it should be, says Bristol South MP Karin Smyth.
Touring the hospital on Monday with Labour’s shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander, Smyth said the hospital was “underused, but oozing with potential”.
And she’s correct. The hospital leaves you with a great impression; the building itself is fantastic and makes good use of the space it was given four years ago. The only thing lacking is that hospital rush.
The atmosphere is more like a library than a frantic, fully-functional hospital building. This really has to change, Smyth says, especially with over 1,000 homes being constructed around the hospital site in the next few years.
Smyth, a former a non-executive director in the NHS, says she has surveyed over 700 people in the area to raise awareness, adding that “nine out of ten people had used the hospital and had really enjoyed it”.
What’s more, two thirds of the people who were surveyed said they spent hours fighting the traffic to attend medic appointments in other parts of the city when there are facilities right on their doorstep.
Smyth says she is determined to work closely with NHS trusts in Bristol to “use results of what people have said, particularly around better screenings and outpatients” to help promote and provide awareness of the building.
“I want to spread the word far and wide to encourage as many local people as possible to speak up,” she says. “I’ll be keeping the consultation running for a few more weeks and would like to invite everyone to take part.”
To take part in the survey, click here.
Read more: Help shape future of new hospital
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