New Forest East MP, Julian Lewis helped set up the “Save Our Community Hospitals” (SOCH) campaign in response to the threat to close community hospital beds in the New Forest by the New Forest Primary Care Trust (“PCT”).

The PCT published a document entitled “Community services for older people” in July 2005, which involved closing inpatient beds in community hospitals and providing care for patients in their own homes instead.  The PCT was legally required to consult with the public over its plans and while the PCT’s original plans included an option for all community hospital beds to be retained, this option was removed by the time the consultation document was presented to the public.  Thus the public was invited to choose between closing inpatient beds in two out of Hythe Hospital, Milford-on Sea Hospital and the Fenwick Hospital, Lyndhurst; or to close all community inpatient beds at these three hospitals in addition to Fordingbridge and Romsey Hospitals.

 

The PCT stressed at the public meetings that, while it was bound by law to hold the meetings and so “consult” with the public, it did not have to take account of the public’s feelings when making its decision on closing community hospitals as part of implementing its community services strategy.

 

Dr Lewis could tell that the overwhelming protest at these meetings was not going to be enough to dissuade the PCT from its plans and set up SOCH, with the help of Desmond Swayne, MP for New Forest West, Sandra Gidley, MP for Romsey and the respective Leagues of Friends of the hospitals involved.

 

SOCH has waged a hard fought campaign to keep the PCT’s plans and the public opposition thereto in the spotlight.  The issue has been raised in the House of Commons on numerous occasions, as well as a march and public rally organised in September when about 2,000 people demonstrated against the PCT’s plans.  Supported by the “Daily Echo” a petition against the plans attracting 40,980 signatures helped demonstrate the massive opposition to the plans.

 

At the same time as keeping the pressure on the PCT to find a solution with which the public will be happy, SOCH is also working in the background to help find a solution to the underlying problem of the PCT’s finances.  The PCT is under significant pressure to eliminate its operating deficit and its community services strategy was part of its Financial Recovery Plan.  Julian and Desmond have met with the Hampshire Strategic Health Authority (“SHA”), which the PCT reports to, as well as the PCT and, together with Sandra Gidley, are ready to meet Government Health Minister Caroline Flint MP to ensure no stone is left unturned.

 

Julian obtained papers from the PCT relating to the development of its Community Services Strategy, which were then analysed by a team including Paul Vickers and Graham Jones.  Paul and Graham highlighted the lack of detailed costings for the PCT’s plans and identified a serious error in the PCT’s bed usage figures.  The PCT has stated that a recent study showed that 84% of patients could have been receiving their care other than in hospital, eg at home.  In fact the figure is much lower than this.  The PCT have so far admitted that this figure should have been 76%, and close study of the figures would suggest a much lower figure than this.  As well as the inaccurate picture painted of the necessary bed usage, the error has also resulted in the PCT underestimating the number of beds required in community hospitals to be able to deliver its own Community Services Strategy.

 

In November, Julian and Desmond met key people from the SHA and PCT and it appeared that the campaign had achieved a shift in the PCT’s approach, in that it was thinking positively of ways in which all five community hospitals can continue to be a part of the local healthcare spectrum.

 

The PCT stated that it could not reopen the Fenwick Hospital in the current financial year, so a key test of its change of heart will be whether it reopens soon after March 2006.

 

SOCH will scrutinize any new proposals that come forward for review to ensure that they are the result of a full clinical assessment and appropriate cost estimate and continue to monitor the situation, so that the PCT never forgets that it will be held accountable for its actions.