CONCERNED residents packed out the Laverton Hall last week for a public meeting that saw the campaign to save Westbury Community Hospital continue to grow stronger.
The meeting, held by Sensible Thinking on Patients (STOP), resolved, following a vote from those present, to pursue forming a trust to retain part of the site for healthcare use.
The idea has been supported by local MP Andrew Murrison, and the group will look to involve Wiltshire Council and Westbury Town Council.
Chair of STOP Erica Watson said, “I was very pleased with the turnout at the meeting; there was standing room only in the Laverton, and we were pleased to see Healthwatch England attending.
“It was very disappointing, however, that only four town councillors came along.
“I think the STOP cause is growing in the town – with the announcement of so many more houses being built, people are beginning to worry about how the health centre will cope.”
At the meeting local man, Eddie Bridges, said the hospital was donated to the townspeople in the early 20th century, and since the ownership deeds were apparently lost in a fire, it has never been clear whether the NHS can claim full ownership of the site.
Audience members also mentioned instances of other hospitals in the country where covenants had been put on hospitals, or donations made in perpetuity, which were legally binding contracts that prevented the buildings being knocked down.
Other members of the audience said new health facilities were needed as they had experienced long waits for GP appointments at the White Horse Health Centre and believed the centre would be unable to cope when the extra 1,000 houses being planned for the town are built.
People added that they weren’t sure what owning a site in trust would mean, whether it would cost money, or what would happen next if STOP were successful, considering no medical providers have shown an interest in the site.
Cllr Mike Sutton, cllr Gordon King and Erica Watson, who hosted the meeting, said the campaign wasn’t at a stage where those questions could be answered.
STOP recommends that people with concerns about the level of healthcare in Westbury should send their concerns in writing to: Dr Peter Jenkins, Wiltshire CCG, Southgate House, Pans Lane, Devizes. SN10 5EQ
Local MP Andrew Murrison had duties in the House of Commons which prevented him from attending the meeting, but sent a statement saying, “The new health centre has been very successful, achieving things and offering services that were unimaginable in old style general practices. However, we have to prepare for a future in which chronic disease and the conditions of old age are increasingly prevalent. This requires step up and step down care close to where people live and a way of reducing the burden on increasingly large and centralised acute hospital services.
“My view is that the community hospital model, appropriately modernised, is a solution whose time will come again.
“With this in mind, a strong case can be made for reserving a suitable site in the town and for this to be held in trust for healthcare uses in the future. This would recognise and respect the sense of ownership the town has of Westbury Hospital and the extraordinary contribution in time and money residents have given over many years.”
There were concerns raised about the aims of the STOP campaign. Phil Randle, who was the Green Party’s MP candidate for the area in this year’s election, argued that campaigners needed a solid, unchanging direction before they were to be taken seriously.
To find out more about the STOP campaign go to www.whitehorsewestbury.com
