Concerns at latest plans for Frenchay and Thornbury hospital sites

Having promised community rehabilitation beds at both Frenchay and Thornbury hospital sites in 2015, last year local NHS chiefs abandoned those plans and went back to the drawing board.

Your Focus Team's concerns deepened in January when we learnt that North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) had given the nod to developer Redrow to put in a planning application on land previously set aside for new health facilities at the former Frenchay Hospital site.

Now new plans have been announced that would see only 40-50 “rehabilitation” beds provided, fewer than previously suggested and all at Frenchay. Thornbury would have just 6-10 NHS-funded beds, not for rehabilitation, within a new privately run Nursing Care home.

We welcome efforts to treat more people at home but with a fast growing population are they providing enough beds for those for whom that is not appropriate?  We also think that allowing homes to be built on the land at Frenchay previously set aside for health facilities would make the latest proposals for the old hospital site hard to deliver.

They've also made another promise of a new health centre at Thornbury - we’ll believe it when we see it!

Your Focus Team will keep fighting for the health services we need.

Houses proposed on land set aside for health facility at Frenchay

Your Focus Team was shocked to learn that North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) have given the nod to developer Redrow to put in a planning application on land previously set aside for new health facilities at the former Frenchay Hospital site.

Back in November we were told that the future requirements for community health and care facilities at Frenchay and Thornbury were going back to the drawing board. We know now that, by that time, NBT were already in talks with Redrow about developing housing across much of the Frenchay site.

We think it is outrageous that the NBT are considering allowing houses to be built on land that was supposed to be used for community health facilities before they’ve worked out how they are going to provide those facilities. It's a sad reflection on Government underfunding of our local NHS that they feel under pressure to do this.

Frenchay A&E moving to Southmead on Monday

The children's A&E has already moved from Frenchay to the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. At 2am on Monday 19th May, the A&E (Emergency Department) at Frenchay will close. Instead you will have to travel to Southmead. You can find out more about the move on the North Bristol Trust website.

Local health services delays

Frenchay Hospital is due to close when the new Southmead hospital opens in May 2014. Part of the plan was to have 68 beds ready as part of a Health and Social Care Centre at Frenchay but these plans are so far behind that the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is now saying they will use Elgar House at Southmead until the new Frenchay facility is built.

Cllr Sue Hope, the Lib Dem Health Spokesperson, said, “We’ve asked the Health Secretary to look again at this decision on the temporary beds and have made it clear the unit must remain in future plans. However we couldn’t support the other parties in referring all the plans to the Secretary of State. This will greatly delay planned improvements to services in Yate and across the patch and could put them at risk altogether. This issue is far too important to local people to be a political football.”

Under the CCG’s plans, Frenchay would be without health facilities until the 68 bed unit opens. However they would expand outpatient facilities in Yate and Cossham and add them to those at Southmead and Emerson’s Green, putting them within reach of the vast majority of South Gloucestershire residents. Those plans will now have to be put on hold due to the referral.

Some success for Southmead bus campaign

South Gloucestershire Council has agreed funding for a bus service for visiting times from Chipping Sodbury to the new hospital via Yate, Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell. The NHS funding only covers improving the 581 service to half hourly, requiring a change to another bus at Parkway to get to Southmead.

Local MP Steve Webb who has been leading the “Bus to Southmead” campaign said, “I welcome this step forward but it still leaves staff and any outpatients having to change buses. We need to ensure the NHS keeps its promise to provide most treatment at Yate and Cossham as the extra 581 buses will enable people to get there. We must also try to persuade the bus companies to rethink their decision not to provide a through service commercially”.

Getting to the new hospital without a car

When the decision was taken to close Frenchay Hospital and concentrate services at Southmead, promises were made that there would be bus services to enable staff, patients and visitors to get there.

Because the new hospital is located within Bristol, the City Council holds the money which was allocated for new bus services.

Current proposals are that the 581 bus from Chipping Sodbury should run half hourly instead of hourly with passengers bound for Southmead Hospital changing to another service at Bristol Parkway to complete their journey.

Your FOCUS TEAM considers this to be very unsatisfactory and is continuing to push with support from Steve Webb MP for a through bus service.

Gordon Brown says no to Frenchay Hospital Review

At Prime Minister's Question Time Gordon Brown has refused to consider an independent review of the Frenchay Hospital decision. See Steve Webb's blog entry here.