To: North Kirklees and Wakefield CCGs and the Board and Governors of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust

Keep All Services at Dewsbury District Hospital

1. Reinstate fully consultant staffed maternity services and A&E at Dewsbury District Hospital
2. Reinstate fully consultant staffed paediatric services at Dewsbury District Hospital
3. Stop the sale of land and retain flexibility for services at Dewsbury District Hospital in the future.

Why is this important?

The consultant led services, for mums giving birth in the conurbation around Dewsbury, are due to be moved to Pinderfields Hospital Wakefield, in September 2016, to be replaced by a midwife led unit with 6 beds. Often mums in labour do not call an ambulance, but travel to hospital independently, via car or public transport. I would not want to travel from Cleckheaton or Birkenshaw to Pinderfields on the bus. Other women with no car may feel the same which will mean more calls for ambulances. The midwife led unit is for low risk births only, so first time mums should be directed to Pinderfields which will be dealing with higher risk births from the North Kirklees AND Wakefield areas. Will this not put a strain on the resources in Wakefield?

Just after the Government Body rejected the Kirklees and Wakefield Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) Report that the changes to Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust's Dewsbury District Hospital site were not in the best interests of the local population, the Daily Mail published a study showing that the death rate amongst inpatients at nearby hospitals, went up, when Newark A&E was closed.

A large study in America also came to this conclusion.

Shockingly, news has broken that Huddersfield Royal Infirmary is also earmarked for closure and replacement by an Urgent Care Centre. Pontefract Hospital has also just been redesignated an Urgent Care Centre. The resulting scenario of driving seriously ill patients in ambulances across the region and subsequent overcrowding in hospitals which have a fully functioning A&E will have a knock on effect for patients around the whole region of West Yorkshire and beyond, Barnsley for example and Oldham.

We know Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust is facing 'winter pressures' and it is mid summer! Why do the CCGs and Trusts not get together and tell this 'democratically elected' government to stop the NHS vanity projects and fully fund front line services?

This is what happened in a neighbouring hospital in London, when Chase Farm hospital was closed.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/19/north-middlesex-ae-staff-describe-unit-as-unsafe-and-unsupported

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323141/Shocking-proof-Accident-Emergency-closures-cost-lives-Death-rate-jumps-THIRD-department-closes.html

Strategic Projects team
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36847643

How it will be delivered

In person at a Governing Body Meeting in public and Trust Board meeting in public with press in attendance.

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Links

Campaign Website Stop local NHS cuts

Updates

2016-11-03 20:42:39 +0000

The first birth in the midwife led centre had to be transferred to Pinderfields ironically but it went well in a 17 minutes journey time

2016-11-02 21:28:07 +0000

CCGs’ Planned or likely changes to NHS services in STP plans

52% Closing or downgrading of community hospitals
30% Losing urgent care centre or similar

46% Overall reduction in hospital beds

23% Reduction in staff in acute services

31% Closing of Downgrading full A&E

21% One or more hospital to end consultant-led maternity
SOURCE: HEALTH SERVICE JOURNAL, SURVEY OF CCG CHAIRMAN AND ACCOUNTABLE OFFICERS
Cited in the Daily Telegraph, 31 October, 2016

2016-11-02 21:22:23 +0000

'Attain' wrote the STP Footprint number 5, for West Yorkshire at an additional cost of £378k. Why, when it could have been written 'in house', by someone 'an asset', with 'leadership skills'? (Although the mental health services locally, provided by SWYFHT are stretched.)
http://www.energyroyd.org.uk/archives/15920
The human body has changed relatively little, for 10,000 years. Apart from being affected by different environmental poisons, how have people's NEEDS changed?

2016-11-02 21:18:53 +0000

Rob Webster is the lead for the West Yorkshire footprint number 5. Here he is talking about how people in the present day, do not 'need' hospitals. Have you ever heard such nonsense?
https://youtu.be/LENhKQobG4g
He also talks about technology and apps. Oh dear!

Be careful what you reach out for digitally!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/10/31/virus_shuts_down_nhs_trust/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/09/nhs_health_apps_concerns/

2016-11-02 21:18:00 +0000

http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Health-Care-News/another-stp-admits-to-serious-reservations-about-process-and-plan
The Sustainability and Transformation Plans for each of the 44 areas, seem to be largely about cutting Hospital Beds and hospital services.

2016-09-18 19:00:13 +0100

We held a public meeting about the issue on 23 August 2016.
There was a public meeting on 23 August 2016, organised by the campaign group! Press release below:-

"Disbelief as top officials claim the changes to Dewsbury Hospital will deliver ‘safer and better outcomes’ for local people"
http://www.northkirkleesnhssupportgroup.org.uk/?page_id=54

https://vimeo.com/181493671

2016-09-04 22:45:27 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2016-09-02 12:43:29 +0100

500 signatures reached

2016-07-28 21:05:00 +0100

100 signatures reached

2016-07-28 09:02:30 +0100

50 signatures reached

2016-07-27 14:35:12 +0100

25 signatures reached

2016-07-27 11:34:52 +0100

10 signatures reached