HTAG Guildford - Letter to Patricia Hewitt, MP

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Letter to Patricia Hewitt, MP

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Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP
Secretary of State for Health
Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
LONDON
SW1A 2NL.

Dear Ms Hewitt

Proposed closure of The Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford

I am writing to register my strongest objection to the proposed closure or possible reduction in services of The Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. There are no financial, performance, demand or democratic bases for such a proposal.

On financial grounds, the Royal Surrey County Hospital broke even last year.

On the basis of performance and demand, The Royal Surrey is a centre of excellence, serving an extensive region, and having one of the three lowest mortality rates in the United Kingdom. In addition it has the best performing A and E department in the country (according to government figures last year).

The crucial period for getting a patient to hospital for emergency treatment is 20 minutes. Closure of the A and E would result in many patients facing a journey time in excess of 70 minutes to reach the nearest A and E.

In excess of 1.2 million cancer patients treated in the superb St Luke's Cancer Centre at The Royal Surrey would have to travel to London, Brighton, Portsmouth or Southampton for treatment - bearing in mind the particularly demanding regime required for many cancers, a situation which would compromise the success of many treatments.

The Royal Surrey County Hospital works closely with the University of Surrey - an invaluable association for scientific research and medical training.

The Royal Surrey County Hospital has excellent road links making it easily and rapidly accessible, particularly in the case of major incidents such as terrorists' threats.

Patients (both inpatients and outpatients) and visitors would experience increased journey times and increased costs, leading to greater stress levels and exacerbation of illnesses. This would be compounded for those with mobility problems. I find it particularly chilling to think of the more vulnerable members of our society (the elderly, the infirm, children) being placed under such constraints and the feelings of distress and isolation that will result.

In conclusion, The Royal Surrey County Hospital is a centre of excellence with strong associations for medical research and staff training. It performs an effective, high quality, invaluable service to an extensive community. It is easily accessible by road, public transport and pedestrians. Any proposal to reduce service provision at the Royal Surrey will have serious consequences for the health and welfare of our community, and closure would result in unnecessary and unwarranted deaths.

Yours sincerely

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