Heanor Memorial Hospital

This week has been a busy one for me, not that I am complaining...

Among other things, I was at Ilkeston Community Hospital with my youngest son Joseph, for his opthalmology appointment, everyone is so friendly there, the coffee/tea bar in clinic one is fab, not too expensive and all for charity (League of Friends).

Consultation Doc for Heanor Memorial Hospital

Joseph was tested for his new glasses prescription, behaved beautifully, although we were there about 2 hours that was waiting time, appointment with the nurse and then the optical test and prescription.  We go again in two months.

Whilst in the waiting room I picked up the Heanor Health Services "have your say" public consultation booklet and read what it had to say.

I got to thinking on the way home, how difficult it would be to get into Derby or Nottingham for that simple eye appointment, the costs and time would triple, and then I thought about Heanor Hospital and the possibility that it could close, meaning just that sort of travel for mainly sick and elderly patients.



It is good to hear that no decision has been made as yet and the consultation is still ongoing, (11 July 2014 - 8 October 2014.

So far the options are:

1.  Do nothing and disperse the current services to other health facilities - meaning demolish the old building  - saving money, probably making money as land is a commodity councils are quick to profit from, however this would ignore all the local wishes for health services in Heanor to remain local and accessible.

2. Make the minimum changes to the existing building - costing a lot of money, no guarantee of total removal of the asbestos as well as ignoring the fact that the current building isn't fit for purpose in many other ways, in my own opinion this is the least favourable option, it would be like putting a plaster on a gaping wound hoping for healing

3. Demolishing the existing Heanor Memorial Hospital facility and rebuild on that site with the same services, including inpatient beds. - although this is what most people in the area I have talked to would like to see happening, at the cost of around £4 million I doubt it will be supported at the governmental or local government level.

4. Demolishing the existing Heanor Memorial Hospital facility and rebuild on that site with the same services, but with inpatient beds provided elsewhere. - again the cost and whether this will meet the future health needs for the local community again make this option a doubtful one.

5. Demolishing the existing Heanor Memorial Hospital facility and rebuild on that site with the new services, designed to meet the future health needs of the local area including those usually accessed at the Wilmot street Health Centre in Heanor - this is the one I think they will go for personally, Wilmot street is small and old and in need of lots of repairs and alteration. So if the new build was to be fully up to scratch, it does make sense that centralising all those necessary services would be essential.

6. Demolishing the existing Heanor Memorial Hospital facility and rebuild on that site with the new services, designed to meet the future health needs of the local area NOT including those usually accessed at the Wilmot street Health Centre in Heanor - this option is not supported locally by the public, by GP's and those working in the health services at Wilmot Street centre.  This option would create the same situations at option 1 (ignoring the wishes) and option 2 (short term thinking for long term issues).

7. Demolishing the existing Heanor Memorial Hospital facility and rebuild on that site with the new services, designed to meet the future health needs of the local area including those usually accessed at the Wilmot street Health Centre in Heanor as well as inpatient beds - this is what nearly everyone I have spoken to wants, and yet its not really even being considered - the policy and consultation documents have made this clear.

Petition
I have already signed and posted about the petition to keep Heanor hospital open, but I am raising it again here.... I am glad the local MP Nigel Mills has created an online petition, and I have signed the paper ones throughout Heanor that I have seen, as well as "encouraged" anyone I am with (or that just happens to be in the shop/clinic lol) to sign too.

I have also emailed Nigel Mills MP and my local Councillor for Heanor Celia Cox and look forward to their replies.

Letters To:

Nigel Mills MP
Councillor Celia Cox