Labour is today widely seen as attempting to look good in Southport after they took away our Children’s A&E and Maternity services in 2003. Back then Labour was highly unpopular with local parents who held them to account for putting our kids at risk.
The CARES protest group led the fight against the Labour-backed cuts in our health services. 4000 protesters marched through the town and a large petition was created, demanding that our children’s’ and maternity services should stay in Southport.
Last April Sefton Central Labour MP Bill Esterson and Labour’s Liz Savage started petitioning for an NHS walk-in centre to Southport. Liz Savage is today seen on the latest glossy Labour flyer.
https://www.otsnews.co.uk/mp-backs-petition-new-nhs-walk-centre-southport/
Labour and Southport lost services.
In April 1999 there was a merger of the Southport & Formby NHS Trust and Ormskirk NHS Trust, which at that time offered all services at both hospitals. Due to increasing problems such as retention of staff and other concerns thought to possibly impact significantly on the smooth running of services, it was suggested to the Health Authority by the new Trust that there should be a merger of some services. They called one a ‘hot site and the other a ‘cold site’, depending on what services would be put where. Southport ended up being the ‘cold site’.
Above: part of the anti-hospital cuts protest in Southport that was organised by CARES in 2003.
http://southportcares.webstarts.com/contact.html
The Minister of State for Health (then Labour) asked the NHS Executive to commission a report on services being offered at that time by the two hospitals.
The person who undertook the writing of the report was Professor Robert Shields, this was published in 1999. Professor Shields concluded that most services should stay where they were, but made 38 recommendations which the Secretary of Health agreed to.
Paediatric surgery beds for Southport & Formby Hospital ‘rejected’ by Labour’s Secretary of Health
However, one crucial recommendation (number 25), “recommended the provision of 4 paediatric surgery beds at Southport & Formby DGH for pre- and post-operative care of children by paediatric-trained nurses”. The Labour Secretary of Health rejected this.
https://www.otsnews.co.uk/cares-background-losing-childrens-ae-service/
As long as Labour understands the historical background to all this, and are not just reinventing reality for purely political motives, then any services being introduced to Southport is a positive move.
However, even a walk-in centre will not treat urgent care or replace our lost children’s A&E services.
More
https://www.otsnews.co.uk/anger-labour-plan-massive-downgrade-southport-hospital/