Save A&E service

Feb 12 2008 By Paul Bradley

HEALTH campaigners have urged hospital bosses to make a halfway house accident and emergency ward permanent for the benefit of thousands of Worcestershire patients.

Kidderminster's blue light A&E ward was closed in 2001 as Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust faced debts of £20 million.

Six wards were closed and operations at the hospital were cancelled permanently.

Now, nearly seven years on, a pilot scheme has seen an emergency doctor introduced to the hospital to deal with serious injuries.

Working 9pm to 5pm on weekdays, the doctor can treat A&E patients who do not need surgery.

Patients with chest pains, spinal injuries or diabetic problems can all be seen by the doctor under the management of a consultant.

Health bosses are set to discuss the future of the scheme on Thursday as campaigners demanded it be maintained and turned into a 24 hour-a-day service.

Howard Martin, of campaign group Health Concern, said: "The pilot scheme was a massive step forward for patients in Kidderminster and the surrounding area.

"It will help thousands of people every year and mean they won't have to travel to Worcester for emergency treatment.

"Councillors on the health overview and scrutiny committee must now make sure this urgent care unit is kept in place and made permanent."

A spokeswoman for Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust said: "We believe the urgent care service pilot has been very successful but overall numbers have been modest."