Beds Moved to Chippenham Could Save Hospital’s Future

The Wiltshire Primary Care Trust today decided to shelve plans to reduce medical beds at Chippenham Hospital from 43 to just ten. Instead, it decided to stop at 20, pending a three month review led by the North Wiltshire Practice Based Commissioning Consortium.

Local campaigner Duncan Hames said “This further three month reprieve is very welcome. The Chief Executive is right to say it would have been foolish to press on blindly with a reduction to just ten beds while the transfer proposal was being considered.

“This process is really good news for Chippenham Hospital. I met local health bosses last year to urge them to support it. Bringing ten beds from Bath to Chippenham will help secure the hospitals future” concluded Duncan.

The summer will be a pivotal time for Chippenham Hospital. Duncan Hames has met with the Chief Executive to discuss how they can improve their bid to government for capital investment.

Today the Wiltshire PCT responded to a question from Duncan Hames to announce that they are in the final stages of re-submitting that bid to the Department of Health and hope for a decision in May or June, Chippenham residents will then expect a decision on moving beds from Bath to Chippenham in July.

Duncan Hames, prospective Lib Dem MP for Chippenham has used the platform of the Lib Dem party conference this weekend, to highlight the issue of rising energy prices across the country.

In a speech from the main stage on Sunday morning, Duncan Hames spoke of the rip-off for customers buying energy through a pre-pay meter, and the affect this can have on the lives of local families enduring fuel poverty.

The speech was part of the Urgent Issue debate tabled by Duncan Hames, and included a speech by Northavon MP Steve Webb.

During his speech, Duncan spoke about how one-in-ten people are being ripped off by the ‘Big Six’ energy companies, just because they have a pre-pay meter. The average extra cost incurred is a shocking £255 per year.

Duncan also praised the achievement of the Chippenham based company Good-Energy (which supplies the Liberal Democrats head-quarters in London with 100% renewable energy), for defying the odds to compete against the big firms.

Commenting after the debate, Duncan said: “This is an issue that will not go away unless we speak up. Millions of the most vulnerable people are paying hundreds of pounds extra every year, just because they pay in advance. This is outrageous.”

Liberal Democrats in Wiltshire are stepping up their call for an ‘in or out’ vote on the EU.

Earlier this week, a new opinion poll by Ipsos-MORI was published. The poll showed people strongly prefer the Liberal Democrat call for a referendum on membership of the European Union, rather than the Conservative proposal for a referendum only on the Lisbon Treaty.

Commenting on the poll, Duncan Hames, Prospective Lib Dem MP said,

“This opinion poll shows huge support for the Liberal Democrat view that people should be given a real say on the big issue of British membership of the EU. People clearly prefer it to the narrow vote that the Conservatives are suggesting .

“Anyone who is below the age of 51 has not had a vote on the UK being in or out of Europe. Since the last referendum held over a generation ago, the Europe we joined has changed enormously. The British people, however, have not been given a chance to vote on these changes.

“It’s time for the Westminster establishment to stop being so cowardly over Europe and have an open debate with the country. The Liberal Democrats would relish the opportunity to put the case to the British people for our wholehearted commitment to the EU.”

MPs voted yesterday on whether there should be an in-out referendum debate. Labour and Conservatives worked together to block the proposal. Andrew Murrison and Michael Ancram voted against a debate and James Gr a y did not vote either way.

Duncan Hames said “I hope our Conservative MPs will look at the results of this poll and rethink their position. It’s still not too late for them to change their mind and join our campaign to give people the real choice on Europe that they want.

Commenting on the result of the Parliamentary vote, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said:

“Today’s result simply confirms the determination of Labour and Conservative MPs to deny the people of Britain a real debate over our future in Europe. The way to have that debate is not over the narrow issue of the Lisbon Treaty but on one simple question: in or out.

“I will continue to lead the argument for a referendum on our membership of the EU and will be proud to argue the case for our country taking a leading role in Europe.”

Local residents are furious at the constant cuts to Wiltshire health services. Just 6 months ago, five minor injury units were closed, leaving just two to serve the hundreds of thousands of Wiltshire residents.

In the same round of cuts, Chippenham hospital was saved from outright closure, but was forced to cut opening hours from around the clock care to just 18 hours per day. Now it is facing a new threat.

Wiltshire’s hospital trust now want to close three quarters of the beds in Chippenham hospital, leaving an overstretched service and less care for local residents.

A public meeting took place on Saturday 1st March in Chippenham Town Hall, and was attended by over 200 local people.

Duncan Hames, Prospective Lib Dem MP for Chippenham spoke at the event about the funding the government promised for local hospitals. “Chippenham residents have been short changed and our community hospital is suffering because of it.

“We must put pressure on the government to deliver the funding promised to local residents over two years ago.”

The public meeting follows the SOS for the NHS campaign run by Duncan Hames and local Lib Dems, the campaign included sending a survey to over 30,000 local residents. Duncan then met with the local NHS board to discuss the results.

Local residents were very keen to see a change that would allow decisions on local healthcare to be made by local residents. Not by an unelected board in Whitehall.