Informing the Trust of the result.

Today a letter should have reached the Chief Executive and I copy it here for all to see:

Mr. John Adler Chief Executive,
Sandwell&West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Dear John,
I am writing to formally let you know the method and result of this ballot. The list of consultant staff ballotted was the current list used by the Medical Staff Committee. Each consultant was allocated a number which appeared on the ballot paper and also on the envelope in which the paper was returned. I enclose a copy of the ballot paper. These were sent out the week commencing the 4th June and the closing time was 5pm on the 20th June.

The count took place at the Afro-Caribbean Millennium Centre and the Independent Referee was Mr. XXXXX of the Birmingham Council Health Scrutiny Committee. All the ballot papers received were in envelopes. The envelopes were opened and the ballot papers arranged in numerical order. A check was made to ensure that there was only one ballot paper with each number, and there were no papers without numbers. All the ballot papers had the preference clearly marked.

The number of ballot papers returned was 98 giving a percentage return of 59.7%. 95 of those papers were in favour of the motion i.e. 96.9%. There were two papers cast against the motion and one abstention. The votes in favour of the motion expressed as a percentage of the papers sent was 57.9% this being the overall majority. Thus in the event of all the non-voters having voted against the motion those in favour would still have carried the day.

This is a very clear cut result with good participation, an almost unanimous result on the votes cast and an overall majority.

The message from the consultant staff is absolutely clear. It is that they supported the prospect of the new hospital on the Grove Lane site, but rejected the current interim reconfiguration proposals to move Paediatric and Emergency Surgery and Trauma beds from City to Sandwell Hospital.

In the light of this result I call upon the Trust to reconsider the options available for any interim reconfiguration and select one that does not impact upon the emergency service provision of City Hospital.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Ken Taylor

On behalf of City Hospital Supporters Group.

cc. Secretary of State for Health and others.

I am sending a copy of this letter to all members of the senior medical staff at City Hospital and no doubt they will be discussing the situation in the near future.