Back in 2003, Southport lost vital hospital services for our kids, at the hands of the Labour administration.
Many young parents today possibly have little understanding of past events, yet some of us kept our promise and retained archived material.
I wrote an open letter (as below) to Labour’s Health Secretary, Dr John Reid, about his party’s hated removal of Southport Hospital Services.
PUBLIC OPEN LETTER TO JOHN REID, HEALTH SECRETARY REGARDING CUTS TO CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY SERVICES IN SOUTHPORT
From Southport dad, Pat Regan
March 2005
Dear Mr Reid
As a father of four children, I was utterly shocked and appalled by the removal of Southport children’s A&E service etc, which have as you know, now been relocated to Ormskirk – a small town that is in another county.
Like the 3000 incensed residents that went on the protest march and the 20,000 that signed the petitions against these outrageous NHS cuts I wish to tell you that feelings have most certainly ‘not’ changed.
We still insist that our children’s emergency services must be returned ‘before’ the first real fatality occurs.
When the first sick/injured child dies due to having to travel the extra ten miles to Ormskirk, say after a car accident, the blood will make no mistake ultimately be on the hands of ‘your’ government. Residents will rightly point the finger of blame at you and your superiors for not reversing this disgraceful health policy decision, which is apparently based on the inconsistent Shields Report.
Southport is a flourishing tourism town which holds international events such as the Air Show, Flower Show etc. Being unable to offer not only our own local children but also visitors’ children from all over the world proper on-site A&E cover is totally ridiculous, highly dangerous, and unworkable in the extreme. I have spoken to numerous politicians and medical people including ambulance technicians, doctors and nurses and they have all agreed that these cuts are preposterous and put children at greater risk.
You clearly stated in your speech to the 2003 Labour party conference in Bournemouth:
“If your child, or your mother was in pain and the means to relieve it quicker were available free at the point of need. Would you refuse them it? I wouldn't. And if I wouldn't refuse that relief to my family, then I'm not going to refuse it to any other family in this country.”
I hold you to this promise, which you appear to have forgotten – at least for the children of my town! What is your word actually ‘worth’ Mr Reid?
The BBC also reported, after anti-hospital cuts campaigners delivered the 20,000 petitions to your leader Mr Blair:
“Health Secretary Doctor John Reid has agreed to re-assess the decision.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/3502255.stm
Well Mr Reid, are you going to keep your promises which I have pointed out as above or are Southport and Formby’s combined population of 120,000 to get yet more bureaucratic justifications for this ongoing fiasco rammed down their throats which are based on stifling political spin?
Southport’s parents are not interested in empty excuses – they just want you to ‘finally’ do the right thing for their children!
A contemporary holiday resort like Southport MUST possess an A&E facility for ‘all’ children – anything less is a half-baked compromise which endangers young lives.
Please stop playing politics with our children’s lives and reverse this dreadful decision.
I for one demand that you reinstate our vital children’s health services now!
Yours in disgust
Pat Regan
............................
Below is the lacklustre 2 - page response from Reid's office...
Prior to this correspondence the CARES anti-hospital cuts action group had tried and failed to pin Labour's, rather elusive, Health Secretary down.
CARES reported on the event, as below
Protest at Formby Hall Golf Club
(Friday 28th November, 2003)
At short notice, CARES were informed that Dr John Reid, Health Secretary, was to be at Formby Hall Golf Club for a Labour Party event.
Very quickly supporters joined together and arrived at the entrance to the golf club. Police asked us to wait outside; we unrolled banners and handed out leaflets to people that were attending the event. Protesters from Liverpool’s Fazakerley Hospital were also there to protest against closures of local maternity services etc.
Cold yet determined protesters from the left to the right wing of politics were present. We were then informed that the Health Secretary would speak to us when he arrived, so we thanked officials and waited patiently in the cold.
Once Dr Reid had arrived we were then informed that due to lateness he could not see us. Obviously we were all clearly very disappointed. Everyone present held a good peaceful demonstration and did everything instructed by the police.
One of the reasons we wanted to meet with John Reid was to discuss his Labour party comments at Bournemouth on the 1st October wherein he stated:
“As long as I am Secretary of state it will remain the basic principle of Labour Government health policy- that all our fellow citizens should have equal access to health care free at the point of need.”
He continued:
“If your child or your mother was in pain and the means to relieve it quicker were available at the point of need would you refuse them it? I wouldn’t. And if I wouldn’t refuse that relief to my family, then I’m not going to refuse it to any other family in this country.”
CARES ask:
Why as yet are these fine and noble sentiments by Dr Reid not being followed up by effective policies within our communities?
Why did Dr Reid originally offer to speak to CARES etc and then approximately ten minutes later decide he was running so late that a couple of moments serious discussion about this life and death services loss situation was out of the question?
Clearly, the glitzy Labour spin over our children's lost hospital services did match their transparent lack of concern at ground level!
When eventually cornered by protesters Labour's health chief made a ultra-fast exit.
Adding insult to injury against Southport parents
Labour also went 'against' expert medical advice (which they had previously relied upon), when they 'rejected' a key element of the Shield's Report, that could have aided Southport families.
You may of course not believe this, so just look at the well-recorded background behind this situation...
Labour's hypocrisy and Southport's lost hospital services.
Back in April 1999 there was a merger of the Southport & Formby NHS Trust and Ormskirk NHS Trust, which at that time offered all services at both hospitals.
Due to increasing problems such as retention of staff and other concerns thought to possibly impact significantly on the smooth running of services, it was suggested to the Health Authority by the new Trust that there should be a merger of some services. They called one a ‘hot site and the other a ‘cold site’, depending on what services would be put where. Southport ended up being the ‘cold site’.
The Minister of State for Health (then Labour) asked the NHS Executive to commission a report on services being offered at that time by the two hospitals.
The person who undertook the writing of the report was Professor Robert Shields, this was published in 1999. Professor Shields concluded that most services should stay where they were, but made 38 recommendations which the Secretary of Health agreed to.
Paediatric surgery beds for Southport & Formby Hospital ‘rejected’ by Labour’s Secretary of Health
However, one crucial recommendation (number 25), “recommended the provision of 4 paediatric surgery beds at Southport & Formby DGH for pre- and post-operative care of children by paediatric-trained nurses”. The Labour Secretary of Health rejected this.
Double standards against our kids!
Consequently, it's certainly worth reiterating here that LABOUR were not only behind our lost children's hospital services - they also went 'against' the same medical advice (Shield's Report) that they had previously relied upon to remove our kids' vital A&E.
'97% of respondents clearly wanted to see A&E reinstated at Southport'. Source: A survey by CARES, reported in their press release (14th June 2005), distributed throughout local schools and children’s play groups, in and around Southport and Formby.
https://southportcares.yourwebsitespace.com/
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