As well as suffering an overcrowded Emergency Centre ( the replacement A&E) because of the closure of Huddersfield A&E, if the proposed hospital cuts go ahead Calderdale people will have to travel to a new planned care clinic in Huddersfield for many services that we currently have at Calderdale Royal Hospital.
If the proposed hospital cuts go ahead, these Calderdale Royal Hospital services will be moved to the new planned care clinic in Huddersfield:
- medical day case (when you come in for treatments that are done in one day and you don’t have to stay – the Pre Consultation Business Case p56 mentions specialist services such as specific cancer or chemotherapy treatments)
- most other day case work (info source: Pre Consultation Business Case p72) – I think this means day case surgery, but this is something to ask during the consultation.
- pain services
- all ophthamology & maxillo facial surgery
- ophthamology outpatients (info source: Owen Williams, hospital Trust Chief Exec at CRH staff audit/training meeting, Feb 2016)
- rheumatology and dermatology (although the Pre Consultation Business Case p68, says dermatology will mostly be delivered in an outpatient and community setting, but on p84 it says dermatology to move to planned site)
- specialist psychiatric liaison services
- planned inpatient surgery, including elective orthopoedics ie planned care operations for bones & joints etc (except hip revisions and complex patients who would go to Calderdale Royal Hospital)
- ear nose and throat ( but not surgical – all ENT surgery (elective and non-elective) to be centralised onto the unplanned site, Pre Consultation Business Case p73)
- rehabilitation of older people
A big California study found that inpatient death rates rose in hospitals with an A&E when an A&E closed in a neighbouring hospital. Patients who still had a local A&E department had 5 percent higher odds of inpatient mortality than admissions not occurring near a closure. This was largely because of overcrowding from a neighbouring area where the A&E had closed.
If you don’t think these proposed hospital cuts are a good move, say so at the public consultation drop ins, the Halifax public meeting on Thursday 14th April or by responding to the Consultation survey.
And if there are questions you want to ask, ask for more info at the consultation drop ins or the public consultation meeting.
Like, would ALL out patient clinics be run from the new Huddersfield planned care clinic, since outpatients appointments are planned care? The Pre-consultation Business Case says that there would be outpatients at both CRH and the new Huddersfield planned care clinic, but with Owen WIlliams telling CRH staff that Ophthamology outpatients would be in Huddersfield, will that also happen for other outpatients clinics?
And will therapies still be available in CRH or will they – as planned care – only be available in Huddersfield?
And what is included in planned inpatient surgery? Does it include cancer surgery, for example?
Calderdale & Huddersfield hospital cuts consultation events
Will transport be provided for outpatients whose clinics are in Huddersfield? I notice Huddersfield clinics include rehabilitation for older people and psychiatric liaison; those of us who are older and/or suffer mental ill-health are the least able to travel under their own steam to Huddersfield. Currently an ambulance pick up service is available to Halifax. I trust it will be extended to Huddersfield.
That is a good question Susan. Maybe you could ask the Clinical Commissioning Group at the hospital cuts consultation drop in at Hebden Bridge Town Hall, on Thursday 5 April between 2pm-8pm? If you do, please let us know their answer. There is advice here from Save our A&Es campaigners on answering the consultation survey, which contains leading questions and whose purpose is unclear – are they asking us if we agree or disagree with their proposed hospital cuts? Or how we think they would affect us?