10/08/05

We would like you to help us in the planning stages of an important project, which will look at the current and future needs for health services in the Forest of Dean.

We recognise that services provided by the Community Hospitals in Cinderford and Lydney will be crucial to meeting the future health needs of patients in the Forest of Dean.

Local people are passionate about their Community Hospitals. We fully understand the deep traditions and history behind the establishment of these hospitals, but we also share a desire to make sure that services can expand and develop in the right way for the
future.

An integral part of our vision is to increase the availability of healthcare services in the Forest, reducing the need to travel to Gloucester for treatments that we can deliver more locally. We need to ensure that Forest healthcare doesn't stand still and together secure the future for the delivery of a broad range of local services from purpose built facilities in the Forest.

We believe that Community Hospitals in Cinderford and Lydney should continue to provide and develop a range of appropriate services to support provision of local services for local people. This should include minor injury and illness services, X-Ray with telemedicine links to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, a range of outpatient services, ultrasound, nurse/G.P.led inpatient beds, palliative care, blood transfusion services, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.

We also believe that each hospital has the potential to specialise in providing a range of additional healthcare services to meet the needs of the whole Forest Community. For example a higher number of surgical operations could be provided in Lydney and specialist rehabilitation services could be provided in Cinderford.

The current emphasis of the review is on exploring more fully what community healthcare services should be provided in the Forest of Dean for the benefit of the whole population. This is a piece of work that local people and our staff should be fully involved in and we need to complete this before any firm judgements can made on how buildings should be developed.

The PCT is currently looking at a number of broad options for the development of community hospital services and health services provided by GPs and their teams in Cinderford and Lydney.

The broad options for Cinderford range from retaining Dilke Memorial Hospital as it is with minimal investment to meet minimum building standards to re-providing the hospital to improve patient access to primary care services provided by GPs, therapists and nursing teams (either on its current site or on another site in Cinderford).

Dilke Memorial Hospital requires a large amount of money to be spent on it to carry out essential repair work (around £1.3 million). Buildings used by GPs and their teams in Cinderford are also in need of substantial investment in order for them to meet the growing needs of the local population.

We already know that there are real benefits for patients when GPs and hospital staff and other health and social care staff work alongside each other to provide a wide range of services locally and in patient's own homes.

The buildings at Lydney and District Hospital are generally in good condition. The options for Lydney include minimum upgrading of the hospital premises to looking at how services can continue to develop at both the hospital and local GP Practices.

A full report setting out the main findings of the Options Appraisal work will be completed by the Autumn and will support a three month public and staff consultation.