LETTER: Our hospitals facing crisis

The following letter has been sent to Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell.

Last night I watched the first episode on BBC2 of a documentary called ‘Hospital.’ It is a factual account of the situation in our hospitals, particularly A&E over the latter part of 2016.

One particular part shows a top class consultant surgeon, complete with his full team, hanging around unable to start a six-hour throat cancer operation, despite operating theatre availability, due to no bed being available for the patient’s recovery treatment. In the event the operation had to be cancelled for the second time.

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The whole programme was of hospitals within this trust, not only full to capacity, but overflowing due to bed shortage. You must agree that this is a national disgrace, and I expect you will say that more operations are being done etc, but we all knew more people would be requiring hospital treatment due to us living longer.

Your Government has had seven years to prepare for this, and it would appear that no significant improvement has been made. I read recently that our hospital trust is formulating a new strategy that will bring approximately 60 beds back into commission locally, improve hospital services, and at the same time save money. I am of the opinion this is Cloud Cuckoo Land, but if true I suggest you arrange to urgently dispatch this team to Jeremy Hunt’s department because they could be the miracle he needs.

I strongly urge you to watch this programme on Wednesday evenings and also urge your fellow MPs to do likewise, so that you will see and hopefully understand the reality of the crisis our hospitals are facing.

One cannot express enough thanks to our NHS staff who are working above and beyond the call of duty to keep us safe until such times that Government help is forthcoming. I hope more readers will watch this brilliant programme.

R BEECH

Tolkien Road

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