40
patients killed in Lothian hospitals by
superbug in single year
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THE
STOP THE DOWNGRADE CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
The
primary aim of our Campaign is an immediate stop
to the transfer of services to Edinburgh.
Thereafter, we intend to develop the Better Acute
Care in Lothian (BACiL) proposal whose fundamental
principle is the creation of TWO emergency hospitals
in Lothian – St John’s and the Royal
Infirmary (RIE).
It
is essential that services in both hospitals are
made safe and sustainable. This is clinically and
ethically appropriate. It will allow also the overwhelming
majority of Lothian’s population to enjoy
high quality emergency services close to their homes.
On the St John’s site this will require a
considerable enhancement of the existing catchment
area from 170000 to at least 250000. Moreover, St
John’s will need to provide a mix of local
and regional services. The latter should include
a component of emergency general surgery. This in
turn will provide support for Intensive Care, Accident
and Emergency and the Medical Unit.
We
intend to build on St John’s existing strengths
while providing relief to the hard-pressed RIE.
Several departments currently based in Edinburgh
can move relatively easily to St John’s. These
might include, for example, the Infectious Diseases
Unit and Haematology.
As
services return to St John’s it is inevitable
that the infrastructure will need to be built up.
In this way, we would hope to see the return of
specialised laboratory services such as Pathology,
and the Mortuary.
We
have already made representations to senior politicians
at Holyrood to advise NHS Lothian to revoke the
recent rise in car parking charges for patients,
staff and visitors.
Be
patient! Progress will be slow. However, what matters
is the destination! We are working towards re-establishing
St John’s as a fully-fledged, fully-staffed
emergency general hospital which will evolve to
meet the long-term needs of the rapidly expanding
local population as well as making a significant
contribution to the totality of health care across
the whole of Lothian. |
