As most people know by now one of the two inpatient wards at Leek Moorlands Hospital is now closed and staff are in the process of being redeployed mostly to the Heywood Hospital.
The Minor Injuries Department closed early a couple of weeks ago due to a shortage of appropriately trained staff.
On 28th July several members of the Save Leek Hospital Action Group met with our MP Karen Bradley and as a result of that meeting she has written to Marcus Warnes ( interim Accountability Officer for the North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group) stating that Leek must not lose its hospital and that the loss of the hospital would mean that local healthcare would move backwards instead of forwards.
In the same letter she stated that she thought it unwise to reduce beds at the hospital when she is yet to be convinced that there is an adequate model of care in place for people to be nursed in their own homes or in care homes.
In the letter she was adamant that the twenty or so services provided at the hospital should be kept under one roof and not farmed out to various parts of the town. She said that services should in fact be extended in Leek and that this would alleviate pressure on Royal Stoke.
We have also spoken recently to Miss Sybil Ralphs (Leader of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council) and she is to hold an urgent meeting of the full council on Wednesday September 6th at 6:30pm where the threat to our hospital will be the main agenda item.
The full council meeting is a public one and anyone can go along and listen to the debate. We believe that both our MP and our council have been spurred to take action because of the amazing support that our campaign has had from all parts of The Moorlands and we intend to keep up the pressure.
What we need now is a concerted effort from everyone to keep up the pressure and continue the fight by writing to our MP, the Leader of the council and local press.
In order to help her case Karen Bradley would like to hear from anyone who has experienced poor care in the community after discharge from hospital.You can do this by phone, letter or email as below.
Karen.bradley.mp@parliament.uk
01538 382421
Unit 24, Smithfield Centre
Heywood street,
Leek. ST13 5JW