swanageview: Hospital closure meeting 20 July

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Hospital closure meeting 20 July

31 comments:

Anonymous said...: REF the Notice for the meeting on the 20th July at 1830. What is point point of attending when IT'S ALREADY A 'DONE DEAL'. ERGO; Democracy!?!

RobO; 11/7/12 5:02 pm
Anonymous said...: If 'it' aint broke, it don't need fixin.; 11/7/12 5:07 pm
Anonymous said...: Well, it's not and other towns have proved this over the years. However, it is important that all local councilors, our MP, the media and all the townsfolk get behind the campaign.Strength of voice and feeling can win through with the right support. How crazy it would be for Swanage to be left without hospital beds and expertise, given the age profile of the population and the number of summer visitors.If you watched Prime Ministers Questions last week you would have seen the PM agreeing that local people must be consulted in connection with changes to hospitals.; 11/7/12 5:10 pm
Anonymous said...: It seems Swanage is considered a backwater at the end of a rural road that leads to the sea.

First, schools. Now, hospital. Yet, we are major contributors in terms of tax.

Odd.

I live in a country that revolted over txation without representation.

This is Drax's big test.; 11/7/12 11:17 pm
Anonymous said...: Be brave on NHS, politicians told
20 June 2012
By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Politicians need to be braver when it comes to putting the case for change in the NHS, particularly over the closure of services, health leaders say.
Mike Farrar, of the NHS Confederation, which represents managers, said there had been a "chronic failure" so far.
He said politicians had been putting short-term electoral interests first.
And he warned if the issue was not addressed the health service could find itself in real financial difficulty and patients would suffer as a result.
Mr Farrar was speaking ahead of the confederation's three-day annual conference which starts later in Manchester.
The group also released details of evidence they had collected from more than 250 NHS trust chief executives and chairman.
It showed many believed the health service was facing a very serious financial situation with some describing it as they worst they had ever experienced.
'Danger'
Many also predicted it would get worse without radical change, such as hospital closures and mergers and greater integration with community services, which can keep costs down by helping patients manage their conditions.
Mr Farrar said the NHS was doing well in meeting its financial challenge - it has been asked to save £20bn by 2015.

But he said if the health service was to thrive in the long-term it needed politicians to show more leadership.
"The NHS is like a super-tanker heading for an iceberg. The danger is clearly in view and looming ever larger.
"It is clear that what the NHS desperately needs is public support for planned change to services.
"But politicians have consistently failed over many years at national and local level to put the long-term interests of their population's health above their short-term electoral interests."
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said he accepted the NHS was facing a financial challenge, but said standards of care remained high.
He also said the health service had the full backing of this government in pursuing changes.
"The NHS needs to change to match the needs of a changing population.
"We will not shy away from difficult decisions involved in that."; 13/7/12 6:54 am
Anonymous said...: I attended a meeting of the STCP in which it was clearly stated that this is not a done deal! this is your chance to have your say. I for one will be there to question the validity of spending vast amounts in building something new when the same money would provide the same services if it were invested in the current hospital.

I'm going to have my say - then I'm going to have a good laugh at the legion on the same night!; 13/7/12 11:22 am
David Furmage said...: I got behind the campaign a while back on their Facebook page only to be pulled into the police station as I suggest a banner along side the road when the torch came through town highlighting the closure of the hospital. So what do you suggest we do then? I know report that person to the police.; 14/7/12 2:18 am
Anonymous said...: as I suggest a banner along side the road when the torch came through town highlighting the closure of the hospital. So what do you suggest we do then? I know report that person to the police.

They probably knew about it anyway david. But are you going on friday?; 16/7/12 8:41 am
Trevor Ayling said...: It's worth remembering previous done deals that were reversed. The Recycle centre, the Day Centre, Out of hours cover at the hospital, minor injuries unit, NHS dental cover and the mobile unit. Swanage has a great track record of fighting for what we need. If you're over 50, join the Senior Forum. We have 520 members and we get heard!; 16/7/12 10:56 am
Anonymous said...: Will not there be advantages in what is proposed? If say cataracts were done in Wareham instead of having to go to Bournmouth that would be great!; 16/7/12 2:23 pm
Anonymous said...: Dave
Why did the police object to a banner for saving Swanage Hospital ?; 16/7/12 9:31 pm
Anonymous said...: Consultations !!

Perhaps the people of Swanage should get ahead of all these endless consultations and make a plan for Swanage, that is sustainable and supports and maintains a resilient community. One that includes health, education, tourism, sports, energy, affordable housing etc etc that way we can be proactive and not reactive.

We need to speed up a bit to get ahead.

We are wasting too much time responding to endless consultations.; 16/7/12 10:29 pm
David Furmage said...: Am I going on Friday? I suppose I will have to sacrifice my Friday night bike ride again :(

Why did the police object to a banner? Well I suggest to the hospital campaign facebook page that maybe a banner might be an idea when the naked flame arrived in town. I think maybe they thought I was going to hijack the event and politely warned me of the consequences . They asked where I was going to be that day to which I replied " far away from the bloody thing as possible " though when you think of it every Tom dick and Harry can put whatever their like along side the roads these days. But on that special day it was a no no.

Anyway as regards to the above post. Well said about houses being affordable aswell , cos we all know the old population will eventually die and if there's no houses for the younger generation that means no one lives here meaning no hospital . But if there is no hospital it might sort out the housing issue.; 17/7/12 11:41 am
Anonymous said...: David,
When we put a 20ft banner on the Heritage Hotel balcony opposite the BIC for the Labour Party Conference we were able to 'stone wall' the police for the duration of the conference, (with the help of the owner of the hotel).
See http://www.safe-online.org/component/option,com_zoom/Itemid,73/catid,1/PageNo,1/

RobO; 17/7/12 2:13 pm
Anonymous said...: Swanage people stopped the new housing didn't they?; 17/7/12 4:23 pm
David Furmage said...: Rob O , the labour party whatever is a total different thing to the naked flame thing. So many laws are being brought into place for the games , I don't know maybe it's one to ask our local police force about it.

As for housing what housing , there is no housing?; 17/7/12 8:46 pm
Anonymous said...: Time to reconsider Herston Fields I think; 18/7/12 1:02 pm
Anonymous said...: Regrettably my wife and I have a previous engagement on Friday so can’t attend the Meeting on Friday 20th, but would like to have attended to raise questions such as:-

OPTIONS:-

1 Leave well alone, as the blogger above said ‘If it isn’t broke etc…’
a. Less disruption;
b. Save the capital expenditure;

2 Polyclinic:-
a. Sell off the Swanage Medical Surgery to the Co-op
b. Sell off the Swanage Hospital for either;
i. re-developers for holiday flats for Londoners, or;
ii. A Private Practice for paying patients, or;
iii. Private Nursing Home, to offer ‘pay beds’ instead of our current in-patient beds.
iv. Re-locate the Ambulance Station at the Fire Station, or consolidate it with Poole, like the Police Cells.
c. Where, no doubt near the new recycling unit because of the cheaper land, but certainly somewhere less convenient to Swanage Residents.
d. Who pays for Disabled, OAPs’ & mothers and children to travel to the Polyclinic?
3 If I had the time the list could be endless….

RobO; 18/7/12 2:54 pm
One 'who has been there' said...: Is a 'Polyclinic' made from Polyfilla?

Is it a temporary means to fill in a gap...or a permanent solution?

I am..always..suspicious of new terminology.

We tend to tinker with the latest ideas, without producing a lasting solution.

I suggest...patience. Do not throw out the baby with the bath water.; 18/7/12 11:27 pm
Anonymous said...: Re Swanage Hospital:

As of 2009 (I can find no more recent filings with the Charities' Commission) the Trust carried forward reserves of nealy one million pounds. The bulk of this was raised in 2007/8. I do not know whether the Trust is still in operation, or whether these moneys were disbursed/spent on the hospital.

My question: if Swanage Hospital is closed, will this money be made over to the 'polyclinic', or what? A lot of us donated over a number of years for the benefit of Swanage Hospital as it is. What will happen to this trust?; 19/7/12 1:00 pm
The Postman said...: Well, they filled the Mowlem (300-odd)... but the queue of people wanting to get in ran half way down Institute Road (another 300 odd). So perhaps another meeting is called for....; 20/7/12 8:29 pm
The Postman said...: Perhaps someone who managed to get in (I couldn't) can tell us what happened..; 20/7/12 8:30 pm
David Furmage said...: Question is where to hold the next meeting? One that's big enough.; 20/7/12 9:22 pm
Anonymous said...: I managed to get in and we watched the committee get agitated as they heard the protest outside especially the drum. The meeting was orderly and the audience made their point that they were against closing of the Hospital. Points that came out of it that both proposals to shut the hospital put money into the doctors' pockets as they own the medical centre that would be closed and the new polyclincs would be privately funded and rented to NHS. Over the years money has been borrowed in the form of a mortgage on the existing hospital and the payments on this are excessive and by selling the hospital money would be released for reinvested in patient care in Nursing homes which Swanage has few.
I was a surprise at the Police presence outside when we came out. COnsultacy meetings mean that they tell people what they are going to do, collect peoples views and carry on. That is NOT democracy!; 21/7/12 8:21 am
Anonymous said...: I think that the Friends of the Hospital have lots of money - couldn't they just pay off the mortgage?; 24/7/12 11:59 am
Anonymous said...: It was judged that the consultation was flawed so will the consultation process start from scratch ??

With the NHS originally providing only 2 options, (neither including a hospital for Swanage) then another 2 options being added by The Friends of Swanage Hospital both including SH, and finally only half the people able to attend the Mowlem last Friday to listen to the presentations and the Q and A sessions. Its all a bit of a muddle. Some people may still think there are only 2 options, others may think 4 - others a blank sheet to create an alternative plan.

Is anyone clear about which land is being explored for the polyclinic?

Some clarity is needed if people are to respond effectively.

Is the whole process planned to start again?

Another consultation another muddle.; 24/7/12 4:47 pm
Unknown said...: I am going to write a freedom of information request about the financial plans for the proposals, so that we can counter them more effectively. The question about which land is proposed for the polyclinic is a good one and I will include this. If there are any other good questions please post them and will inlude them in the request.

I have also used the land registry to find out that the surgery is owned, from what I can tell, on a mortgage by four of the doctors (I have the names). This was facilitated by the Railway and by the council with some covenants.

The building is then leased by the four doctors to the Dorset Primary Care Trust. There are 2 leases, one for lower ground and first floors respectively. Each lease is for 24 years from the 28th March 1991, meaning that they expire on the 28th March 2015 (convenient eh!). There are a number of ‘Charges’ registered against the property register which would tell us more if we could get the detail, I’ll try.

The Swanage hospital is also owned by Dorset Primary Care Trust, but the document is interesting in that there a number of restrictive covenants, that whilst not very interesting in themselves, show that the land was conveyanced by John Burt and George Burt, to Annie Burt in 1914 presumably to build houses but at sometime the Dorset Primary Care Trust got hold of it. This may have been a donation and may be grounds to argue that it should be donated back to the community or at least not taken away from the community. This may then be an option for the commuity to take over the buildings in some form of Trust and contract itself back to the NHS as the doctors have done at the surgery. I’ll try and find out more.; 25/7/12 9:41 am
The Postman said...: Jason, regarding the site for the new polyclinic, when I was on the Town Council we had a presentation (interestingly, from PDC and the developers) where they proposed building this facility on the Middle School site.; 25/7/12 9:53 am
Jean said...: Jason could you also use FOI to ask coop if they have offered to buy Health Centre from GPs as the Core Strategy shows option to build 3000squ m store in Swanage.this is not in Purbeck Local Plan nor Swanage Community Strategic Plan both of which contain a hospital for Swanage.; 25/7/12 3:22 pm
Anonymous said...: Re: 'Jean said'....

Freedom of Information only applies to Government entities. The Data Protection Act to personal data kept by anyone. Not sure where the Coop fits.

RobO; 1/8/12 1:04 pm
Anonymous said...: RE: Jason Haiselden 25th 9-41

I understood Annie Burt donated the hospital buildings to 'the people of Swanage,' to be used as a hospital for them, and the Charitable Trust was set up to run it.

RobO; 1/8/12 1:09 pm

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