Local Residents Speak Out Against Bed Cuts
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.
