Vascular surgery to stay at Portsmouth’s Queen Alexandra Hospital
STAYING Vascular surgery will be kept at Queen Alexandra Hospital.
THE BATTLE has been won to keep vascular surgery in Portsmouth, The News can reveal.
Plans to move vascular surgeons out of the city have been dramatically dropped today after a News-led campaign to keep the service at Queen Alexandra Hospital was won.
A meeting of councillors on the Portsmouth City Council health overview and scrunity panel were told that plans were to be dropped because Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the QA in Cosham, and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust could not agree on a network model to share surgeons.
A proposal had been to share vascular surgeons across the two cities.
Debbie Fleming, chief executive of the SHIP Cluster - a primary care trust cluster which covers Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said ‘The trusts have been working very hard on achieving a network model but the trusts have not been able to reach an agreement at this time.
‘We are disappointed by that. We do not want to decommission both services - that would not be in the interests of local people and would cause disruption when we don’t have immediate safety concerns.
‘We are very content to maintain the current arrangement. We’ll be monitoring the outcome over the next 12 to 24 months.’
Responding to the news at the meeting Syd Rapson, a Queen Alexandra Hospital governor, said: ‘This was all madness. I hope the NHS will realise the public will not roll over and have its belly tickled.
‘You can no longer tell people what is going to happen in their best interests. This is a message to the NHS.
‘It’s been an experience to get involved in, this issue. And it’s been very time consuming.
‘Now we can get down to having a better future.’
Health officials will monitor the situation over the next 12 to 24 months and both trusts are being encouraged to continue talks to work towards a network model.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 10 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Callaghan
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 01:50 PMDear voice of reason, the evidence suggests otherwise. That is why this decision is a bad one. The public think just because its close its better, this assumption is WRONG! Part of the call for these changes was that patients might go to Portsmouth Hospital, but due to the small amount of vascular surgeons have no surgeon there, or on call to conduct the surgery. The plan was to join with Southampton to ensure that there was 247 cover. Finally the plan meant that Portsmouth surgeons would have spent the majority of their time at Portsmouth anyway. This decision was made for all the wrong reasons. If any one else would like to make the ill informed statement 'its better because its nearer' please could I ask you to dome some research first and come back with an educated response?
freespirit
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:22 PMThis is good news for the present but it seems it's to to be monitored over next 12 to 24 mths!. If the powers that be cannot agree now will we have to go through all this again? I dispair with all the money being spent on these reveiws especially when today i was told by the surgeon he has to apply for funding for the operation i require and it could take up to 18 weeks, it's not a major operation but a necessary one for a better quality of life.and free from discomfort . I am beginning to think we the general public have no idea what is going on in the Portsmouth Health Trust these days.
Portsea Islander
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:21 PMWe need more outpatient services to return to St.Mary's. QA is suitable for more acute services but it's location is a problem for most people living in the south of the island, especially elderly patients and those who rely on patient transport to attend appointments. St.Mary's should have an X-ray department, OncologyRadiotherapy department & renal unit returned to it. Centralisation does not work for the NHS!
The voice of reason (occasionally)
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 05:11 PMI would suggest you're all that's wrong with todays society @5. You may need it one day and if you're local it could be a lifesaver.
Rosie2412
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 03:29 PMThese surgeons saved my dad's life. He would not have made it to Southampton. I don't care the reason it is staying. I'm just glad it is.
Callaghan
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 02:46 PMWhat a spineless decision! Not only does this mean the time and costs incurred over the past few years in conducting this review have been written off, but clinical evidence and common sense is being ignored. This decision is bad for the Portsmouth poulation who might need this complex surgery, its a shame that proximity of a service is more important than the outcome for the patient. The real reason why Portsmouth have resisted so strongly is losing money which they need to pay for the ridiculous PFI they entered into. It is a shame the public of Portsmouth did not see that! This decision is represents what is wrong with the NHS - 1. No Backbone, 2. Decision made based on local interests (not those of the patient) and ill educated public opinion, 3. Despite outcome delivering worse outcomes for patients and being less cost efficient! If there was ever an argument for privatisation this has got to be it!
The Watcher....
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 01:42 PM@1 - if you consider that the concerns over a football team are stressful then you haven't lived!
Scott McGarveys Perm
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 01:31 PMGreat news. With more and more people coming into the area it's vital we have these services local.
The voice of reason (occasionally)
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 01:26 PMIt's a fantastic facility, which I for one am personally very grateful for. Great news for the city and surrounding areas. Now leave it alone to get on and do what it does best- and not just for another 18 months.
spencerc
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 01:16 PMPHeewww some of us pompey fans might need it after the stress we're going through!!!
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