Huge Response to Hospital Campaign

I am continuing to receive a huge response to my campaign to highlight the possible changes at the Royal Victoria Hospital. In some cases, entire blocks of flats and roads appear to have signed. There is most certainly a very strong view that the services provided by the Rehab wards should not be moved to Buckland at Dover. Understandably, local people believe that this will impose travel pressures on relatives and that it will be another loss of an important local service.

There is also a great deal of concern about the wards closing and the rehab care being provided by specialist teams looking after rehab patients at home. Apparently, many of the elderly treated on the rehab wards are too ill or frail to be returned home straight after treatment. Their problems are so severe that they could not be regarded as solely requiring rehab - they actually need full time nursing care. In these cases, the view is that treatment at home is completely inappropriate.

I can assure everyone that has written to me or returned a petition form that all the feedback will be put to the local Health authorities. It is essential that all your voices and opinions are heard. I will be attending the Public meeting scheduled for January 13th at 6pm at the Royal Victoria. I urge as many local people as possible to attend. For those who can't easily get to the Royal Victoria, there is another meeting in St Mary's Bay Village Hall on Friday 14th Jan at 10am.

In addition to the Public Meeting, I will be meeting the Health management team in the next few days to hand over the letters and notes on which so many people have expressed their point of view.