Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed, joined the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, on a tour of the new Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital last week. Mrs Trevelyan took the opportunity to draw the Mr Hunt’s attention to concerns about the local NHS Trust’s decision to temporarily close inpatient beds at Rothbury hospital.
Speaking of their conversation, Anne-Marie said: “Although this is a local NHS decision, and not one the Secretary of State can interfere with, I thought it was important to tell him about the concerns I have over pressures on rural CCGs and the budgetary constraints they face. It is a lot more expensive to deliver the standard of care our rural populations need and deserve, than in a more urban setting. Our local CCG is presently running at a deficit and has been for some time.”
The Northumberland MP went on to stress the importance of demonstrating the needs for the beds at Rothbury: “It is absolutely vital that people get in touch with me to tell me about their experiences of Rothbury, and why it has been so important to them as a palliative or respite care option. I need real stories from individuals in order to make the case for retaining the beds effectively. I appreciate that many people are anxious, but very few have actually got in touch in response to my call for case studies – I believe the inpatient beds at Rothbury are an incredibly important resource for our local community – if you agree, please email me or write to me with your reasons why and explain how the Hospital has helped your family.”
The MP has written to over 3,500 households in Rothbury to encourage people to put pen to paper to help her build an evidence-based case for retaining the beds. She will also be attending the public meeting for the community to discuss the situation with the local NHS team, on 17 November.