02/06/2006 - Health Campaigners Learn of Cuts

Health campaigners have been told by Maternity Staff at the Alexandra they are expecting the Worcester Acute Trust to announce the scrapping of the Maternity service in a meeting later this week. This service delivers just below 2000 baby’s year, and regularly deals with overflow from the Worcester Royal.

Neal Stote, from the Save the Alex campaign said

If what we are told is true it is a kick in the teeth to staff and expectant parents, this decision is not based on a clinical view and will not actually save the debt ridden trust much money. Services cuts at the Alex are all about bailing out the PFI at Worcester and the eventual down grading of the Alex to a community / day treatment hospital as in line with current outcomes of Government Policy My big concern is that we know the Worcester unit can't cope as it is and regularly sends its overflow to Redditch. What I want to know is were will mums to be from across county have their baby? Perhaps we should rename the M5 hard shoulder to the M5 Delivery Sweet. The loss of this service would not bode well for peadatric services either which are also facing cuts