A CALL from the leaders of Bromsgrove, Redditch and Stratford councils for health chiefs to investigate the possible break up of the local health trust has received a robust response.
The appeal, which followed the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) report branding Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHT) as ‘adequate’ and calling for it to be put into special measures, also won backing from local MPs Sajid Javid (Bromsgrove), Karen Lumley (Redditch) and Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford).
However in a letter to Councillors Margaret Sherrey (Bromsgrove), Bill Hartnett (Redditch), and Chris Saint (Stratford) Robert Alexander, chief executive of the Trust Development Authority (TDA) underlined the positive areas the CQC had found at the Trust and said they would be working with WAHT and health partners ‘to ensure they are supported as they continue to improve services’.
He added that the Trust had already started to deliver a comprehensive Patient Care Improvement Plan saying that special measures represented ‘an important opportunity’ to increase support and ‘address significant challenges for care delivery’.
In addition Mr Alexander backed the Trust on the temporary move of maternity and neonatal services from the Alexandra Hospital to Worcester and endorsed the CQC’s support for the executive team as leaders.
On the issue of the future of healthcare services in the county Mr Alexander said the body was continuing to assess the best options ‘to achieve clinical and financial stability for the Trust’.
Neal Stote, chairman of the Save the Alex campaign said: “We will wait to see what model they come up with to put out for public consultation.
“However it will be interesting to see what their definition of an adult emergency department and paediatric assessment unit at Redditch is and how this is going to be financially stable in the long term.
“Otherwise, University Hospitals Birmingham (The QE) will be screaming if there’s hundreds of patients heading into Birmingham for treatment.”
