The temporary overnight closure of Weston General Hospital’s A&E is set to be made permanent at a meeting next week amid a raft of changes.
Health bosses are set to approve the proposals following extensive public consultation, despite 70 per cent of residents saying they opposed the hugely unpopular move.
However, several alterations have been made to the plans for the hospital’s future, including the introduction of a new dedicated critical-care transfer team to transport patients to and from other hospitals in Bristol or Taunton.
Specialist urgent care for children will be expanded from five days a week to seven, with the Seashore centre’s midweek opening hours also being extended to match those of the emergency department, 8am to 10pm.
Under the plans, GPs and paramedics will admit patients directly onto the ward overnight, bypassing A&E.
Operating theatres, currently in use around the clock, would be shut overnight, while patients needing emergency surgery out-of-hours would be stabilised at Weston and transferred to neighbouring specialist hospitals for treatment.
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG, which commissions health services in the area, says the package of measures is designed to improve safety, quality and sustainability and has the backing of senior doctors on the patch, along with both Weston Area Health Trust and University Hospitals Bristol Trust which are set to be merged by April.
The CCG shut Weston’s A&E in July 2017 amid dangerously low staff levels.
BNSSG CCG medical director Dr Martin Jones says: “If agreed, these proposals would ensure that Weston Hospital is better able to achieve national clinical quality standards, as well as attract and retain the staff it needs.”
“That means a better local service for patients and the public. Clinicians across our area are clear that ‘doing nothing’ is not an option for Weston, and that these proposals are a big step in the right direction.”
“Our vision has always been to have a dynamic and focused hospital at the heart of the community, providing more of the services local people need most often.”
“The public consultation period has also meant we’ve been able to listen to a broad range of views and make improvements to the proposals we originally put forward.”
“For example, we’ve reduced the number of people who would need to travel out of Weston for emergency surgery under our proposals from 560 to just 80 a year.”
“People told us travel was a big concern, and we’ve worked to address that while staying focused on quality and safety.”
Weston Area Health Trust medical director Dr Peter Collins added: “There are opportunities outlined in the CCG’s proposals to grow our services, including those for frail and older people — using the expertise of our award winning frailty teams — and for children and young people which would see access to paediatric specialists and our excellent acute paediatric Seashore centre enhanced.”
“We also welcome a final decision on how we continue to provide critical care and 24/7 urgent and emergency care for the people of Weston and surrounding areas.”
But Save Weston A&E spokesperson Tim Taylor said this week: “The news disappoints us but doesn’t surprise us. We suspected the CCG had already made its mind up. We still believe it’s wrong for Weston, given the demographic changes in North Somerset.”
“North Somerset Council is now our best hope. They can refer it to the Secretary of State. We will be calling on them to do that.”
Other changes already in progress under Healthy Weston include a new frailty service at the hospital to meet the needs of the area’s growing population of older people, strengthened primary care and a mental health crisis and recovery centre that’s due to open early next year.
The CCG’s governing body will make its final decision at a meeting in Weston’s Winter Gardens on Tuesday October 1st. The proposed changes would be phased in by April 2021.
