SORV Campaign Update: Can the NHS pledge on services be trusted?

Local residents and health workers have cast doubt on a pledge from East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust to retain all current services at the RVH after their announcement that they were looking at selling the Victorian part of the Royal Victoria. This week the NHS Trust has added to fears for the future of services by admitting that it was already considering withdrawing urology services offering by the Derry unit at the hospital.

One local doctor has told the SORV campaign that there is much too little space to run all current services at their existing levels if the main building is sold. The fears on space lead to many local residents believing that staff and patient treatment hours would have to be cut at the hospital if the sell-off goes ahead.

Local Councillor Lynne Beaumont is chairing a public meeting on the sell-off proposals on Tuesday 9th January at St John's Church, St John's Church Road, Folkestone from 7pm. Lynne says:

"It simply doesn't make sense. The amount of space being used in the threatened Victorian section of the hospital must be bigger than that currently available in the 'new' building. The NHS Trust needs to be really up-front on this and prove HOW the services could fit into a reduced building without reducing staff number of patient treatment hours.

"Without that honesty, we fear that we'll see gradually reduced staff numbers, gradual announcements of proposed reductions in services (exactly as they have done with the Derry Unit this week) as they allow the Royal Victoria to die the death of 1,000 cuts."

The Save Our Royal Victoria Campaign was set up by the Liberal Democrats locally, and is fighting to get promises on the future of the RVH. Those promises include:

• No loss of services from the RVH
• No loss of medical and non-medical staff or treatment hours at the RVH
• No loss of respected services from the RVH such as urology in the Derry unit
• No building sell-off at least until any new buildings are ready