Early last week a "critical incident" was declared
at Treliske Hospital, which was struggling to cope with "extreme
pressure" on its services.
The hospital urged people to avoid visiting its emergency
department if at all possible as a result of the high demand and re-arranged
non-critical appointments in order to deal with the issue. Although this is the
first time the hospital has had to declare this status for over a year, it is
always concerning when our local NHS services are unable to meet the demand
placed on them.
Soon afterwards, along with the other Cornish MPs I met with
the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock to raise our concerns regarding
this situation. I was reassured by his
assessment that everything necessary was being done by the hospital staff to
address and resolve the situation as soon as possible. And it was good to get a
better understanding of the causes of the pressures, which were largely due to
a severe outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea in Cornwall.
The Secretary of State’s office subsequently worked with NHS
England and NHS Improvement to take actions to improve the situation.
These included bringing in additional clinical staff
including nurses, doctors and therapists for support; Setting up local
community hospitals as sub-acute units; extending Acute GP hours from 18.30 to
midnight in RCHT; and a full review of all medically fit and none medically fit
patients took place to ensure they were in the right place.
On Thursday the alert was stood down, however the additional
measures will remain in place to ensure Treliske is well prepared for the
summer holidays, which always provide additional pressures on these services.
The NHS in Cornwall is resilient and received a significant
increase in funding in April this year which it will continue to receive in the
coming years, as well as extra capital funding in December last year. However, we
need to be clear that this is not primarily a funding issue. Cornwall’s NHS is
receiving record levels of funding. It is how about the funds made available
are used and how resources are allocated in order to support the staff at
Treliske who do a tremendous job all year round. Another significant factor is
also how health services integrate with social care to ensure patients are
discharged appropriately in a timely manner.
I hope the measures taken to help resolve the issue from
last week will continue to be incorporated into treatment and care arrangements
going forward and will continue to work with colleagues both locally and in
Westminster to ensure Cornwall gets its fair share of funding and resource now
and in the future.
Long term I do believe we need to look at our urgent care
requirements in Cornwall to ensure local services can meet the growing demands
of our population. I believe we need to consider all options for the future,
including whether there is a need for a new, additional hospital, as well as
making the most of the facilities we already have.
My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and
work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support.
The office is open to the public Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm (no
appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would like my assistance on
then please, either visit the office or contact me on either 01726 829379 or
office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only,
advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at:
www.stevedouble.org.uk/events
