After many months, I
am delighted with the news that the overnight care facility at Hexham General
Hospital is reopening! Over the last few months I have continually pressed for
a rethink and a reorganisation of the staffing rotas that caused the problem
in the first place. In recent months, I have met with:
- Hexham General Hospital management;
- Some of the key nursing staff at the hospital;
- Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of Northumbria NHS Trust.
When I was elected
in 2010, the decision to build a new hospital in Cramlington had already been
taken. As a result, I decided to campaign to ensure the provision of as many
services as possible were maintained in Hexham. I have always said that I
believe overnight urgent care should be part of the services provided by the
hospital, and the more services it provides to our local community the better.
The photo below was
taken at a recent visit with local Councillor, Cath Homer, where we met Mr Paul
Edmonds, Dr Fiona Conlon and many of the team behind the Elderly Assessment Centre.
All of us know that
Hexham General Hospital provides high quality care to the residents of Tynedale;
for example, the cancer care is rated as one of the best in the country by patients.
The temporary closure
was not a result of a funding issue. The hospital accept they have received
extra funding, and have a great deal more nurses than before.