Councillors fight plans to move vascular services - sign petition here (From Runcorn and Widnes World)
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Residents urged to sign online petition
8:10am Friday 3rd February 2012 in News By Barbara Jordan
From left, Clr Marie Wright and Clr Ellen Cargill urging Halton residents to sign our onliine petition Picture: Mike Boden MBA300112
CONTENTIOUS plans to remove vascular services from Halton and Warrington could jeopardise other surgery, councillors have claimed.
They fear proposals for the Countess of Chester Hospital to become a centre of excellence for vascular surgery could cause waiting lists to soar and operating theatres to close.
They are urging residents to sign the petition below - to prevent seven hospitals currently providing vascular surgery be cut to two, Chester and the Liverpool Royal.
Vascular services are for people with disorders of arteries and veins, patients with diabetes, heart problems, cancer and stroke victims.
Clr Ellen Cargill, chairman of Halton’s health scrutiny board, said: “There is so much deprivation in Halton, there are more people without cars than those with transport.
“There are lots of young mums who can’t afford to go on the bus.
“They’re not thinking about patients, consultants are thinking about themselves.
“They are paid by results, the more operations they do, the more they get paid.”
Accidents on motorways, she said, often cause gridlock, making it difficult to reach Chester.
Clr Cargill added:“Surgeons will want to work in a specialist hospital and we will lose all the best surgeons.
“We have a big ageing population who can now have these operations in Halton.
“It is frightening.”
Clr Marie Wright, board member for health, said: “This consultation is really important for all Halton residents.
“It is vital that we give as many people as possible the opportunity to have their say on this very important issue.”
Halton Council leader Clr Rob Polhill said: “I would like to praise the World for helping us to protect this vital service.”
I would like to register my objection to the loss of vascular services from Halton and Warrington hospitals:
Comments(4)
normanlp
says...
8:44am Mon 6 Feb 12
chunkymunky
says...
11:50am Mon 6 Feb 12
Yet again more 'CLR's' with no understanding of medical evidence, recovery rates or why they propose to move these services into a centre of excellence! It seems to me the flurry of CLR's and MP's jumping all over this has nothign to do with provision of services its simply so you think they have your corner and are campaining for your best interests.....quite simply they are not!!! Its nothing but another PR stunt to say "hay look at me, i stop it being moved vote for me again"!
Darlington Phil
says...
2:09pm Sat 11 Feb 12
Presumably s/he thinks only people who work in the NHS have a right to any say on changes or self-appointed experts ? What a joke !
Maybe Cheeky Monkey is just another of thosee Lib Dems who are selling out the NHS to their Tory masters ?
JStockton32 says...
3:16pm Sat 4 Feb 12
Thank you for considering this appeal!
Cll John Stockton