New information received today shows there has been a shocking 22% drop in just one year in the number of patients able to use the North Cambs Hospital in Wisbech for their treatments.
At my meeting a month ago with Michelle Arrowsmith, Chief Executive of Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn, I requested information on patient services over the last two years at the North Cambs Hospital site. This followed feedback from constituents that they were having to travel for treatments previously offered locally, with the extra cost, time and disruption this involved.
The data on patient numbers has now been received and shows a massive cut in local services. Whereas two years ago over 70k patients were being treated at the North Cambs site, this has now fallen to below 55k patients.
This reduction in patient services locally has been done with no public consultation, no transparency, and is the opposite of what the Labour Government set out in their national strategy for the NHS, called ‘Fit for the Future’ where they said they would move services from acute hospitals in to the community. This data has shown the opposite is happening in Fenland.
For example more than two out of three patients for X-rays who previously attended North Cambs Hospital are now being sent further afield. There are also over a third fewer ultrasounds, and a significant drop in the number of blood tests conducted at the Wisbech site.
I have enclosed the information received below. I requested similar data for Doddington hospital at my recent meeting with the Chief Executive of the Integrated Care Board Jan Thomas which is due next Friday and I will also publish this once received.
