The Petition of residents of the Kingswood constituency,
Declares that Cossham Hospital, having previously been threatened with closure, has now received a £20 million refurbishment with a range of new healthcare facilities; further that a Minor Injuries Unit which was pledged as part of the Bristol Health Services plan has yet to be installed; further that the Member for Kingswood has already raised this matter on several occasions in the House of Commons calling for a Minor Injuries Unit to be installed and has collected a petition of over 2,500 signatures calling for the same; and further that the Petitioners support the determination of the Save Cossham Hospital Group who have campaigned for a Minor Injuries Unit.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to call upon local NHS healthcare managers to honour the pledge made to local people in Kingswood to install a Minor Injuries Unit at Cossham Hospital as soon as possible.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Chris Skidmore, Official Report, 22 October 2014; Vol. 586, c. 1005.]
[P001391]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Health:
The reconfiguration of local health services is a matter for the local NHS. All service changes should be led by clinicians and be in the best interests of patients, not driven from the top down. Any proposed significant changes to services are subject to the four tests for service reconfiguration, which set out that proposals should demonstrate support from clinical commissioners; strengthened public and patient engagement; clarity on the clinical evidence base; and support for patient choice.
On 30 January 2015, the South Gloucestershire Council’s Public Health and Health Scrutiny Committee wrote to the Secretary of State formally referring South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group’s delay in reaching a decision on the implementation of a Minor Injury Unit at Cossham Memorial Hospital, and its decision to undertake a primary care minor injuries pilot instead.