Sir John Whittingdale and Dame Priti Patel have had two meetings in connection with the Mid and South Essex ICB proposals for the future provision of services at St Peter’s Hospital, Maldon.
On 14th October, Sir John and Dame Priti met Karin Smyth, Minister of State for Health, with officials in the Department of Health. They set out the reasons why the proposed loss of services and possible closure of St Peter’s was unacceptable and would lead to a lack of provision of essential health services for the residents of Maldon District and beyond. In particular, they stressed the significant population growth that was taking place as well as the remoteness of parts of the District with poor transport links. The Minister stressed that the ICB are required to take account of future demands as a result of housing developments and recognised the importance of the issue to the local community. She said that she would monitor the current review taking place and agreed to the possibility of a further meeting once the outcome is known.
On 17th October, Sir John and Dame Priti had a meeting with Tom Abell, Chief Executive of the Mid and South Essex ICB to discuss the establishment of the Working Group. They welcomed the appointment of James Halden as an independent Chair, and the representation on the Group of Maldon District Council and Essex County Council as well as the Save Maldon Medical Services Campaign. It is intended that there should be at least 6 meetings over the next 6 months with an interim report after 3 months. The Group will consider how best to provide maternity services, intermediate care and outpatient services for residents, taking account of latest medical practices as well as the need for provision to remain locally based.
Sir John said: “I welcome the progress made in setting up the Working Group with a view to it concluding its work in the first half of next year. I have also discussed the issues to be covered with James Halden and will want to work closely with him to ensure that the Review Group remains focussed on obtaining the best outcome for residents. I recognise that the Group cannot allocate extra funding but will not hesitate to press the Government if it becomes clear that this is what is required”.
Dame Priti said: “Sir John and I have been crystal clear in our meetings with both the Minister and Tom Abell from the ICB that the Maldon district needs to retain its vital medical services. At our meetings, Sir John and I set out the history of St Peter’s and the repeated pledges that have been made over 25 years to provide a new hospital. We stressed that instead of cutting local provision, it is essential that the existing range of services provided in Maldon be maintained and improved, particularly given the geographic size of the Maldon district and the rapidly growing population. We will continue to work closely with the Save Maldon Medical Services Campaign, the local authorities, the ICB and the Government to ensure our constituents have access to high quality and local health care facilities.”
Sir John and Dame Priti are pictured below outside St Peter’s
