Wednesday 5 August 2009

Will the new Healthcare space in Bracknell effect Heatherwood Hospital



There has been a demand for a new health facility in the centre of Bracknell offering an extended range of health services. Plans for a new health centre have now been released and will be known as a ‘health space’. What the public of course always wanted was a hospital but this would prove too costly. This facility will be built in Market Street near Bracknell train station and by built by Ashley House and G4S Integrated Services consortium.

The Berkshire East Primary Care Trust (PCT) (part of the consortium investigating future healthcare provision in Bracknell) and developer Ashley House have unvalued there plans for a new health centre in Bracknell (detailed here).

The new health centre in Bracknell will include cancer treatment and a fitness centre. It should also be offering GP services and some emergency services as well as out-patient facilities but will not have facilities for overnight stay.

The centre should be built in 2011 and will be very close to the Skimped Hill Medical Centre, it will also have space to expand upwards if this was later required.

Meanwhile Heatherwood hospital is under continued review with rumours of word closers or ward moves to Wexham park hospital in Slough.

I do fear that the new (and Welcomed) health space could pave the way for the closure of Heatherwood Hospital which still offers services that the new healthcare centre cannot offer as it has no overnight stay arrangements. For example the case of Sally Ingram daughter Kerry, aged 10 from Warfield, who has regular treatment for brittle bones at Heatherwood (highlighted here).

Russ Bryant campaigner and resident of Bracknell has set up a group on social networking site Facebook called ‘Stop Erosion of Services at Heatherwood’. This can be joined here.



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1 comment:

  1. I was born in Heatherwood during a nursing strike and if it hadn't been there things would've been much worse.

    Services are needed where people are, not where government would like us to be. The difference in cases of emergency can easily be the difference between life and death.

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