Westbury’s healthcare campaign group, STOP, will be attending a meeting with Healthwatch Wiltshire this week and is hoping people will turn up and have their say on healthcare.
The public meeting, on Thursday 8th September at 6pm, will see Healthwatch present the findings of their recent investigation into health services in the town.
Sensible Thinking on Patients (STOP) chair Erica Watson says, “Members of the STOP group will be attending the Healthwatch meeting and we are really hoping for a good turn out from the community.
“This will be your opportunity to find out about the health and social care services available, for you to talk about your experiences and to voice your ideas about how to improve our access to health and social care.
“You can ask the decision- makers attending the meeting why Westbury is consistently targeted for more housing and less everything else. It is very important that members of the public attend so that together we can do our very best to make a difference for the future of our town.”
Healthwatch Wiltshire would like to make it clear that the meeting at the Laverton this Thursday will not be an opportunity to discuss the Westbury Hospital planning application.
Instead, STOP will be attending a planning meeting later in the month to voice its opinions on the hospital.
Erica continued, “STOP has worked very hard with your support to try to save the hospital site for community use in the future. We challenged the application at the August meeting of the Wiltshire Council Western Planning Committee who were unable to reach a decision.
“We have a second chance to fight the application at the next Planning Committee meeting at County Hall on Wednesday 28th September at 3pm and would welcome anyone who is able to come along in support.”
The STOP group has also raised concerns that fracking could bring new health concerns if it is permitted nearby.
The fears come as a company has been granted licences to explore for gas in the area, and campaigners say the process is polluting and bad for the environment.
Erica continued, “We have recently discovered that the Westbury area is right in the middle of a zone that has had fracking licences granted. This could have serious and damaging health effects for our residents in many ways and if fracking commences, it will mean that your house may be very difficult to sell or insure.
“STOP is very disappointed and angry that once again Westbury has been targeted for an area where the people are repeatedly ignored and other towns in the county are protected.
“We need your help to raise this issue with the decision- makers at the public meeting – without your voices we are afraid that the future of our lovely town and villages will be at risk of becoming a ghost town, with congested roads and the risk of a reduced life expectancy for our children and families.
“Your local MP Andrew Murrison is in favour of fracking which will affect a large number of his constituents.
“The area where licences have been granted includes Trowbridge, Warminster and many of the local villages – you can see a map of the area on the website www.frackfreewestbury.org where you will see which Wiltshire towns have been excluded from the fracking zone.
“Please look at it and see how you will be affected by the decisions of people who never visit Westbury. You can make a difference, but only if your voice is heard, so please do join us on Thursday.
“It is worth noting that if developers become aware of the real possibility of fracking in our town, that the sale of our hospital could be more difficult and the NHS may have to think again about disposing of the buildings and site, which will undoubtedly be needed again in the future.
“We look forward to seeing you all on Thursday.”
