70 per cent of local people have expressed concern at proposals to make permanent a temporary overnight closure of Weston General Hospital’s A&E.
The emergency facilities at the hospital – which serve the Burnham-On-Sea area – have been shut between 10pm and 8am each night for over two years.
Despite strong public pressure to re-open it 24 hours a day, local NHS commissioners have proposed to make the overnight closure permanent. The idea is part of a new healthcare model for the Weston and Burnham-On-Sea area.
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are currently reviewing feedback received during a public consultation period.
Between February and June 2019, over 2,300 responses were made to the public consultation, representing more than 3,000 people – including residents in the Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge area.
The responses express a range of views on proposals for changing the way health and care services are delivered in Weston, including some services at Weston General Hospital, which is used by Burnham and Highbridge residents.
The CCG has now received a report from the independent group that compiled all of the feedback.
During the consultation, people took part in public meetings, completed feedback forms and sent emails. A representative group of more than 1,000 people were interviewed through door-to-door surveys.
Three main changes to services were proposed. Eight out of ten people and organisations who gave feedback said they understood why things needed to change. Most people were supportive of proposed changes to intensive care and emergency surgery.
People had more varied views about the proposal to make permanent a temporary overnight closure of the A&E, with three out of ten supporting this and seven out of ten expressing concerns.
Regardless of whether or not they supported the proposals, people wanted the CCG to consider the following points when making decisions about next steps:
- Whether the proposals account for the size and age of the population.
- Whether there are enough GPs, ambulances and space at other hospitals for the proposals to work.
- Whether it is appropriate for people and their loved ones to travel to another hospital overnight in an emergency.
Dr Martin Jones, Medical Director at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group said: “We are really pleased that so many local people and hospital staff gave their views during the public consultation.”
“We now have a much better understanding of what people think and what is most important to them. Our vision is for Weston General to be a dynamic hospital at the heart of the local community – offering more of the services that local people need most often.”
The report will inform the recommendations made to the CCG’s Governing Body about the future shape of services at Weston Hospital. These recommendations will be considered in October 2019.
