Unite the Union has issued a statement from their Vice Chair, Reg Beagley, which makes their position crystal clear on the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust “Fit for the Future” proposals. You can read their statement in full here.
Some of the key points they make are:
They are “most concerned about these proposals and the effect that they will have on both the general population and our members”.
If the A&E at CGH (Cheltenham General Hospital) were to become an Urgent treatment Centre, only taking ‘walk-in’ patients, the present situation would reach intolerable proportions.
Piling more pressure upon them (Doctors working in the A&E department at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital) is not only unfair, but will increase the stress they are under, resulting in the possibility of poorer outcomes for patients.
Another area of concern is that with less surgical facilities at CGJ, meaning less surgeons and registrars available for the Urgent Treatment Centre, it may become a standalone operation. This could open it up for the possibility of being put out for tender and becoming operated by a private company in the future.
Chris Hickey, spokesperson for REACH welcomed the statement.
“We are seeing an overwhelming level of opposition to the proposals that underly the “Fit for the Future” document from all parts of society and also not just in Cheltenham. We very much welcome this statement and call upon One Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust to fully take account of this and all the other opposition we are seeing to their proposals”.