A&E – Are you deaf?

Coun Charmaine Morgan says…

Campaign group SoS Grantham Hospital are calling for those involved in a Healthy Conversation to restore 24/7 A+E services urgently including patient resuscitation and stabilisation within a Consultant led unit.

Campaign group SoS Granthasm Hospital are calling for those involved in a Healthy Conversation to restore 24/7 A+E services urgently including patient resuscitation and stabilisation within a Consultant led unit.

Over 60,000 people called for this and local children wrote letters raising their concerns and those of their families. Our voices should not be ignored.
We are also challenging the validity of the night closure 3 years ago which took place without apparent due regard for, or adequate consultation with, patients who have protected characteristics. 

We can only hope that the Clinical Commissioning Group will listen. 
Best regards Charmaine 

Dear Dr Baker

Further to our meeting in Grantham and in particular discussion re Grantham & District Hospital A+E unit. 

Please note that in July 2018 over60,000 local residents took a petition to United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust, 10 Downing Street calling for the protection of, and opposing any downgrade of, Grantham & District Hospital A+E.The CCG has a duty to reflect the needs of local people when commissioning health services. ULHT has failed to deliver. 

Although officially the online petition is now closed people are so concerned at the threat to our A+E services that petition signatures and online comments have been added on an ongoing basis to date. 

In addition local school children drafted letters which will be forwarded along with a paper copy of the attached report to a Healthy Conversation. A child with asthma are among the writers. 

We have subsequently learned that prior to the night closure there was no formal consultation with local residents specifically relating to those with ‘protected characteristics’ regarding the impact of night closure and very little impact analysis since.

This is illegal. 

Under the Equality Act 2010 there are nine protected characteristics:

• age.
• disability.
• gender reassignment.
• marriage and civil partnership.
• pregnancy and maternity.
• race.
• religion or belief.
• sex

A member of the Blind Society identifies this group as being particularly vulnerable but not consulted by ULHT prior to the night closure. Nor were local deaf people consulted. 

SoSGH are calling for Grantham + District General Hospital A+E to be reopened 24/7 with full resuscitation and patient stabilisation delivered by a consultant led team urgently. 

Freedom of Information questions show the wide extent and severity of cases handled at the unit which compare with A+E units across the country. 
The experience of local people indicates the night closure has led to delays in patient treatment and is putting patients at risk. In particular

Nottingham QMC and Lincoln County Hospital struggle with demand at night. We are calling on those involved in a Healthy Conversation to restore Grantham +District Hospital A+E Services at night forthwith. 

The petition wording used online and on printed petition forms is as follows. It remains relevent. 

I oppose plans to cement the downgrading of Grantham A&E by ULHT.

I call for the restoration of a fully supported A&E Unit at Grantham. Grantham is a key transport hub located in South West Lincolnshire on the A1. In addition to serving a local population of 65,000 people, thousands of people travel near or through Grantham daily on the A1, the A52 and on the Eastcoast Mainline railway. This area needs an A&E Unit.

Grantham Hospital had a fully operational A&E Unit, a consultant led midwifery unit and Paediatric Ward. Under United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust ULHT, services have been eroded. Paediatric overnight stays were stopped, our Maternity Unit was closed and now the new ULHT management team plan to cement the undermining of vital A&E services for good.

ULHT propose to send people with acute emergency need to Lincoln Hospital. Lincoln Hospital is struggling to cope with its existing workload. It has among the highest mortality rates in the country.

The area has poor transport and poor road links. Local people without a car or unable to drive cannot access Lincoln A & E without using an ambulance.

East Midlands Ambulance Service is struggling to cope with its workload whilst delivering a timely quality service. 

Grantham needs its own A&E Unit. Stop the cuts at Grantham now.

Research shows for every 1 km travelled there is an increased risk of patient mortality. Grantham is at least 38km (23 miles) from next nearest A&E unit. People with respiratory and allergy problems are at particular risk of delay.

Lincs Fire & Rescue First Responders support EMAS. They are facing budget cuts. Please contact me to arrange a meeting to handover a paper copy of the online comments and children’s letters. 
Best regards Charmaine