News story

19th January 2005

D-Day Looms for Local Hospitals - Last Chance to Save Frenchay

Northavon MP Steve Webb is urging local residents to act quickly if they want to ensure the future of Frenchay Hospital. The future of local hospitals will be decided at crucial meetings over the next couple of months, and the heads of local health trusts will each have a vote at a final meeting in mid March. After consultations and discussions lasting  a period of years, local NHS chiefs will be getting together at that meeting to vote on key issues such as whether Frenchay or Southmead should be the major hospital to serve the people of South Gloucestershire and North Bristol.

The MP was speaking after a meeting with representatives of the Bristol Health Services Plan, who are co-ordinating the whole process.

Between September and December last year a round of consultation was undertaken by the Bristol Health Services Plan into the future of our local hospitals. A document containing the results of that consultation will be published later this month. Following publication of this report, local councillors from Bristol & South Gloucestershire will meet and draw up their own response to the plans for NHS services in the area.

These two reports, together with further analysis currently being produced by the Bristol Health Services Plan will be considered by each of the local health trusts independently at the start of March. These are the four primary care trusts (including South Glos. PCT) and the two acute trusts (including North Bristol NHS Trust).

On March 16th, the chairs of the six health Trusts will get together and make a final decision about the way ahead. North Bristol NHS Trust is expected to want Southmead to be the main site, leaving only a "community hospital" on the Frenchay site. South Glos. PCT has undertaken survey work showing strong support in South Glos. for Frenchay.

Steve Webb is therefore calling on local residents to write to Brian Goodson, the Chair of South Gloucestershire PCT, urging him to speak out at that crucial meeting in defence of Frenchay Hospital and in the interests of the people of South Gloucestershire.

The address to write to is:

Brian Goodson
Chair, South Gloucestershire PCT
1 Monarch Court
Emerald Park
Emerson's Green
Bristol BS16 7FH

or e-mail brian.goodson@sglos-pct.nhs.uk