About this Campaign

On the 20th November 2006 the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust went out to consultation on two sets of proposals; Towards 2010 and Shaping Hospital Services for the Future.

The Towards 2010 proposals can be welcomed although they will not become a reality before 2013 at the earliest assuming they actually go ahead. The Shaping Hospital Services for the Future proposals are bad news for the people of West Birmingham because the Trust is proposing to move the inpatient beds for Emergency and Trauma Surgery and for children from City Hospital to Sandwell Hospital. Effectively this will mean ambulances will be taking Surgical and Trauma patients from West Birmingham likely to need admission, to Sandwell Hospital. The same will apply to children during the 12 hours the proposed Children’s Assessment Unit is closed at City Hospital. This will mean worse access to emergency hospital care for the people of West Birmingham until at least 2013 when the new hospital is planned to open. These changes would have undesirable effects on other services provided at City Hospital with the loss of emergency surgical and children’s expertise.

As a result of the grave concern felt by the staff of all working groups at City Hospital over 100 people expressed their support for establishing the City Hospital Supporters Group. The key objective of this Group is that the people of West Birmingham continue to have 24-hour access to high quality emergency care for adults and children on the City Hospital site, until a new hospital, which can provide this service opens its doors.

The people organising this Group are Dr. Ken Taylor a consultant physician who has worked at City Hospital in various capacities over 26 years, a very senior nurse, and Christine Rickards, branch secretary of UNISON, who have both worked many years at City Hospital and between them they represent all the staff groups. The Group are advised by the relevant medical experts at City Hospital who have all contributed to and approved the two documents Support City Hospital which gives advice from our Group on answering the questions on the Shaping Hospital Services for the Future consultation document, and Petition in Support of City Hospital which you can also be downloaded from the links in the bar on the right hand side. You can also join the City Hospital Supporters Group. We are striving to get as many people as possible to complete consultation forms, join the petition and join the Supporters Group. It would also be good if people attended the consultation meetings organised by the Trust and expressed their concerns about the proposals on moving services from City Hospital. The dates and times of these meetings are available via the following link: www.swbh.nhs.uk/latest_news/documents/Consultationmeetings.pdf

Lastly all consultation forms and petitions have to be in by the 16th February 2007 at the latest. Make sure you express your view.


Update 18/01/07: The consultation deadline for Shaping Hospital Sevices for the Future has now been extended to 15th March 2007, so there is really no excuse to make your voice heard!