Local residents call for Westbury Hospital to re-open

Local residents are calling for Westbury Hospital to re-open after new NHS chief, Simon Stevens,  recently proposed that smaller community hospitals should play a bigger role in local health care.

The recently-appointed chief executive of the NHS called for a change in the health service with a shift of services away from centralised hospitals and towards local community hospitals – like the one in Westbury that closed nearly two years ago.

Following a story in the last issue of White Horse News, Doreen Bright, a Westbury resident currently living in a nursing home and making regular visits to the RUH, said, “Reopening the community hospital would free up ‘urgent beds’ at the RUH and Salisbury hospitals. It could do minor ops instead of sending patients to Bath or Salisbury or even the White Horse Health Centre.

“Westbury Hospital belongs to the Westbury people – they paid for it and the League of Friends has always supported it.

“Elderly relatives would not have to travel for miles to see their loved ones.  It would also save doctors lots of time because they could put all their really sick patients into the hospital and visit them there and that would save on petrol and time.

“Car parking would not be a bother – there are loads of spaces at Westbury Hospital.  Taxi fares would be cheaper than they are to go to White Horse Health Centre. Reopening the Westbury Hospital would also create local jobs.”

Cyril Linham from Westbury added, “If at last the Government has  realised the value of smaller units to care for those recovering from surgery, or with chronic illness that simply needs attentive nursing, then Westbury could be well placed for one.

“The newer part of the building would be ideal for those recovering, while perhaps the older wing could be leased out to a private company for the care of elderly or disabled people. The latter would help with the running costs  of the site. We can only hope that it is not yet too late to save it for our area!”

Westbury resident, Gill Bright said, “I believe there has never been a greater need for small (or large) community hospitals.

“With the RUH reportedly straining to deal with the number of people it has to care for (2011/12 catchment figures – 410,000 for emergency care and 320,000 for planned care) any relief should be grabbed with both hands. With our aging and increasing population, the pressure on the RUH (left unaltered) will only grow.

“The RUH site is constrained from further development by its location – so expansion is either limited or impossible. Many patients ‘on the mend’ after illness or surgery who still need nursing care, could so easily be transferred to local hospitals, nearer loved ones and home, thus releasing beds for those whose needs are greater.

“Community hospitals could also offer a range of minor surgical procedures and X-rays – just like Westbury Hospital used to, but a wider range and visiting consultants for regular clinics. It makes far more sense for one consultant to travel a location amongst many patients, rather than many patients travelling to see one consultant.

“Re-opening the community hospitals would provide local jobs. At present, the closed Westbury Hospital is such an appalling waste of a wonderful, much-needed resource – the politicians themselves should be able to see how absurd keeping community hospitals closed is – or are they so far out of touch?

“With the government’s endeavours to reduce the country’s carbon foot print, cutting people’s journeys should be a priority.  By re-opening local hospitals for all the reasons I have mentioned, I am sure many visitor/patient journeys would be shortened or eliminated.  I will not mention parking at the RUH – we all already know how bad it is.”