THE two-year battle to retain vascular services at Warrington Hospital has been lost.
NHS chiefs in Cheshire and Merseyside have decided there should be two arterial centre for vascular services across the area – one at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and the other at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Patients from the Warrington area would be dealt with at the Chester hospital.
The decision, which follows a review which started in 2010, will cause anger in Warrington.
Both the town’s MPs have spoken out against the move, Warrington, St Helens and Halton borough councils opposed the proposals and thousands of people signed petitions objecting to the changes
But health bosses say there has been a comprehensive review and a full public consultation following recommendations from the Vascular Society and international evidence that complex arterial surgery should be carried out in specialist arterial centres to improve outcomes for patients.
They claim this has been generally accepted across Cheshire and Merseyside.
In a statement, they say the creation of the two specialist arterial centres will mean patients right across Cheshire and Merseyside will benefit from improved services and better outcomes.
In addition, as a result of having specialist arterial centres, the national Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening programme will be launched, leading to more lives being saved across Cheshire and Merseyside.
The new service at Chester will be implemented on April 1 next year while the Liverpool service will start as early as September 3 this year.
Warrington North MP Helen Jones has been a vocal critic of the proposals, condemning them as being “fatally flawed.”
David Mowat, the Warrington South MP described the proposals as “piecemeal.”
Both feared the loss of vascular services at Warrington Hospital could lead to the loss of other health services in the town.
The North West Ambulance Service also expressed concern over the potential for delay because of “gridlock” on Warrington’s road when there were accidents on local motorways.
Battle to save vascular services is lost
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
7 Comments
I beleve this is going to a referral as is the Wirral decision good move let’s beat the buggers and send out the message that us warrington folk will not be treated like this and our voices will be listened to !
There were medical reasons to justify the change which certain people seem to ahave ignored
Dear nick I take it you are obviously in favour of services being removed from warrington and that you support the view that we warrington people should travel to Chester for a procedure that is already carried out at warrington hospital !
Angryman – I am in favour of survival rates being increased by having some procedures carried out at a smaller number of units with a higher level of expertise and a higher amount of ongoing experience.
Agreed – we have to accept that skilled medical resources are increasingly finite and very expensive. The only way to use them effectively and maximize survival rates is to concentrate them in centres of excellence. Local pride should not come into this equation, but realism must.
I don’t see this being any different as to when a person from the town needs to be treated from Warrington and moved to Liverpool. I would want the best to deal with me and any person that needed that treatment. If you are taken into A+E In Warrington you will also get the treatment required to aid life. That won’t stop. It would be fantastic if we got all services here in Warrington but I guess when the hospital is saddled with paying back the loan of PFI under Labour then we should all reflect.
Having sat through a local consultation at the halliwell jones stadium I was glad to hear my local labour reprosentatives fighting the corner of the people of warrington it’s just a pity other folk couldnt find the resolve to do the same instead of rubbishing warrington let’s start defending this town , I was born in this town 73 years ago and will always fight for this town and I think fighting to save services at warrington hospital is a number one priority