Cottage hospital closures blamed for beds crisis

8:34am Wednesday 21st February 2007

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THE health service in Gloucestershire reached crisis point this week with operations cancelled and beds filled to capacity.

Now supporters of the Cotswold's beleaguered cottage hospitals are renewing calls to preserve them to save the service from collapse.

Last week all 1,099 beds in the county's two main hospitals were full and surgery was cancelled as a result.

Campaigners who saw beds closed at Fairford, Tetbury and in the north Cotswolds say this would not have happened if their facilities were still running.

Chris Roberts, mayor of Fairford and campaigner for the town's hospital, said: "I don't think they would be in this position if we had the community hospitals. It would still be difficult, they would still be struggling with beds.

"We could fill the 15 at Fairford and accommodate more. At the moment we are looking at beds at the new hospital and the powers that be think there is not a need for them."

Cllr Roberts said she feared for patients if cuts continued to be made.

She said: "I have a friend who had a operation on Friday, they suspected bowel cancer. He was told it could be two months on the NHS. Luckily he has private health care because those two months could have been critical.

"People's lives are at risk, particularly the frail, the elderly and those living in rural areas."

Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said health bosses only had themselves to blame for the crisis.

He said: "It is unacceptable that people with serious conditions have had operations cancelled because so many beds have been closed. I am not at all surprised."

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust this week confirmed it would not be considering overnight surgical lists to cut waiting lists in line with proposals made by the Prime Minister on Monday.

It apologised for the bed closures which were blamed on seasonal illness, staff sickness, bad weather and the half-term holidays.