SMETHWICK SUPERHOSPITAL PLAN 20-11-2006 The Stirrer can reveal that Smethwick has been identified as the site of a proposed new super-hospital to replace both Sandwell General and City Hospital in Birmingham - although the precise location is being kept under wraps for commercial reasons. Public consultation about the plan begins today, although critics say it's difficult to make an informed assessment without knowing exactly where the new hospital might be. At the same time, health bosses say they have to be cagey in case speculation pushes up the price of the land. The new hospital is unlikely to be completed before 2013, and might not be built at all, and in the meantime the Trust is working to reduce of a deficit of more than £6million. 800 posts have already been cut, and there's now a proposal to downgrade the A&E at City forcing patients needing emergency treatment on the west side of England's second city to head out of town to West Bromwich. Despite reports to the contrary elsewhere though, this plan should not be regarded as a fait accompli. It has yet to be agreed by both Birmingham and Sandwell Councils and if they can't come to a compromise, it would be referred to the Secretary of State for Health. Deirdre Alden who chairs Birmingham's Health Scrutiny Overview committee was in fighting mood when she spoke to The Stirrer today. She said: “West Birmingham is a deprived area, and a lot of people who live there don't have a car. I don't think this plan is acceptable. It's the beginning of a downward slide.” She also warns that if the Smethwick superhospital doesn't come off, a supposedly short-term, interim measure might end up becoming the norm. Public consultation takes place on:
For more details contact http://www.swbh.nhs.uk/ |
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