Save Hinchingbrooke Hospital

Patient Engagement Evening 3

I attended the meeting at Buckden and the main topic was A&E.
The meeting was well attended, however the 40% figure raised it's head yet again and yet
again Mr Town continued to point the finger at the Government.
The main issue issue raised was the continued emphasis on G.P's performing simple surgery
and it was recognised that there would have to be expenditure in the infrastructure of G.P
surgeries for this to be viable and Mr Town attacked G.P's regarding the issue of what they
are spending their income on.
Dr Cracknell, in the audience, spoke of how it was in the past and indicated the dangers of
G.P cover for A&E and said that G.P's cannot provide 27/7 cover and that the public
"Needed and Demanded A&E cover in a local hospital environment"
It was also acknowledged that in the main G.P's now have reduced avaliablity to the public and
patients travel passed their G.P's Out of hours to go straight to A&E instead.
It also was highlighted that G.P's surgeries are no set up for minor surgical proceedures and
these proceedures should only be carried out if it is safe and appropriate to do so
and Patient choice was banded about yet again, most want a Local Hospital.
G.P's are noted to have implied that they are unable to cope and are opposed to expanded
services.
The new documents from this evening meeting are attached along with the table that are supposed to show the 40% extra activity, it is just number without sunstance as to how the
figures were arrived at................

The web address is:-

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.gough/Public%20Engagement
%20Event%20A%20&%20E.pdf

For the latest paperwork from the meeting