WEST CORNWALL HEALTHWATCH
- The finger on the pulse of local health and care services –
PRESS RELEASE OCTOBER 21ST 2024
CALL TO ACTION AT PENZANCE MEETING
West Cornwall HealthWatch celebrated almost twenty-eight years of campaigning at its Annual General Meeting in St Johns Hall in October. Residents with good memories will recall the campaigns for West Cornwall Hospital back in the late 1990s which included a march in London, and a huge gathering in Penzance in 2002. Campaigning has continued since then, with members identifying issues, collating information from patients, liaising with health managers and presenting the patient voice to the decision-makers.
At this year’s AGM, Andrew George MP and David Levine, retired Medical Director at West Cornwall Hospital, talked about their hopes and fears for the future of the NHS and social care, relating particularly to West Cornwall:
Andrew George recalled his involvement and collaborative working with West Cornwall HealthWatch since its inception. He observed that now the NHS and care is in the midst of its worst crisis ever, with ambulance queues, avoidable deaths, pressure on staff, 100,000 staff vacancies along with the NHS unable to retain its staff, and with little more than half the district nurses and two-thirds of the health visitors we had previously. He expressed his concern about the suspension, subject to a review, of the building of the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital at Truro, along with his support for WCH gaining an MRI scanner and the UTC achieving a return to 24/7 opening.
David Levine discussed what we can do locally given the dire state of the finances. He lamented the loss of so many services at West Cornwall Hospital over recent years, the lack of planning for the future, and his concern about the outsourcing of services, which has serious consequences for the NHS. He shared information about the West Cornwall Hospital Development Group, led by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust with input from all areas of the Cornish NHS and with community involvement. He hopes the success of this group will lead to positive results for West Cornwall Hospital. He noted that there is an excellent team in Penzance which is working to achieve 24 hour opening, but the team is vulnerable, and needs both money and staff.
The audience then had the opportunity to raise issues and ask questions. One particular area of concern was the commissioning of services from the private sector, which cherry-picks the most lucrative areas and attracts staff away from the NHS.
There was also discussion about the much-quoted issue of people in hospital beds when apparently they needn’t be; but it is clear that ongoing care isn’t available, alongside the drive to reduce the number of hospital beds. However, until workable alternatives are first put in place, with sufficient beds and care available, the situation cannot be resolved.
WCH Chair, Jane Varker acknowledged the immense contribution of her predecessor Terry Murray, who from the start of West Cornwall HealthWatch had set the tone for the group. She summarised two areas where everyone in the community can take action to influence what happens next for NHS and social care locally:
- If you are offered an appointment beyond the Penwith area, ask for a closer one, particularly for West Cornwall Hospital – there are too many cases of patients having to travel to Falmouth, Truro, Bodmin and beyond, when treatment and care should be available close to home.
- If you have a story to tell about your care or treatment, please share it with us. We never divulge names, but pass on patient experiences to those who should strive to make the system better.
Members of the public are encouraged to contact West Cornwall HealthWatch with their queries, concerns, experiences and offers of help. Contact jrfgpbeajnyyurnygujngpu@lnubb.pb.hxku.oc.oohay@hctawhtlaehllawnroctsew or via the Facebook page: ‘West Cornwall HealthWatch’.