Welwyn Hatfield MP's hospital fears (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Welwyn Hatfield MP's hospital fears

10:56am Wednesday 24th March 2010 in News By Alex Lewis

WELWYN HATFIELD MP Grant Shapps has clashed with health bosses over an NHS report which he claims shows the plans for the QEII Hospital will not benefit patients.

The report, carried out by the Foundation on Primary Care and Emergency Departments, probed the type of problems leading people to go to casualty departments.

It found that between ten and 30 per cent could have gone to their GP, which Mr Shapps says shows that replacing the QEII's casualty department with an "urgent care centre" will not help patients.

He said: "This report shows that just one in ten patients can benefit from the Government’s policy. So what about the other 90 per cent?

“Labour have pushed the accident and emergency (A&E) unit past the point of no return by investing millions at the Lister in Stevenage.

"But I’m still determined to fight hard to keep the A&E and maternity units at least.

“A crash victim or a new mum shouldn’t have to worry about making it up the crowded A1(M) before they see a doctor.

“It all backs up our opposition to closing our A&E, but local people will be asking: Why didn’t the PCT (primary care trust) research this properly in the first place?”

Hertfordshire's director of public health, Dr Jane Halpin, responded: "The report looked mainly at examples of GPs working in or alongside A&E departments which is very different from the type of service we are developing here in Welwyn Garden City.

"We are planning to establish an urgent care centre as part of the new local general hospital and we expect it will look after 40,000 people each year – a significant proportion of the 57,000 who currently attend the A&E department at the QEIIl.

"The centre will see patients with minor illness and injury such as fractures, sprains, cuts and burns and will have the imaging and diagnostic equipment to support these patients.

"The model has been successfully developed in Hemel Hempstead where the urgent care centre has been a stand- alone facility since February last year .

"Over 24,000 people will have been treated there during this first year and we know that these patients have been successfully looked after a good deal more quickly than at an A&E unit."