St Helens Council unites to fight threat to Whiston Hospital’s burns unit (From St Helens Star)

St Helens Council unites to fight threat to Whiston Hospital’s burns unit

6:40pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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COUNCIL Leader Brian Spencer has slammed the potential loss of Whiston Hospital’s special burns unit as a disgrace.

Political differences were buried at the town hall as councillors united to back the battle to retain the burns unit.

If the facility is lost it would mean that the most severely burnt patients from our area will be left facing a trek to Manchester or even further afield to Wakefield 70 miles away for often life-saving treatment.

Many Star readers who have received treatment at the unit have written condemning the move.

The council supported two motions calling on Health Secretary Andy Burnham to scrap plans to locate the Regional Burns Unit away from Whiston.

Council Leader Brian Spencer said: “There are deep concerns that if Whiston loses its burns unit the hospital may be downgraded to such an extent that funding would become a major issue. It is a nationally renowned unit. If the unit goes then a lot of specialism would go with it. It is a disgrace.”

In a letter sent today (July 9) by the council’s Chief Executive, Carole Hudson:

CONDEMNS the decision not to include Whiston Hospital on the short list for the major burns unit.

CALLS on the Secretary of State for Health to intervene and ensure that the provision of the Major Burns Unit is maintained at Whiston Hospital without any of the facilities being downgraded.

IS concerned that no proper business case has been developed or presented to the council to support the recommendation to centralise a Burns Unit in Manchester.

SAYS that the Hospital will be left with significant financial problems as it now has a newly built burns unit with a PFI tariff to pay.

The council also fears that if the burns unit is lost, then other services will also vanish including the expertise of leading burns specialists and facial reconstruction surgeons who are responsible for the reconstruction of facial features damaged by both cancer and burns.

The council also says it considers that consultation processes have been inadequate and that the final recommendations should be subject to detailed local scrutiny.

The local authority is now calling on the Primary Care Trust at its meeting of next Tuesday (21st July) to reject any proposal to remove burns facilities from Whiston Hospital and to oppose the centralisation of burns facilities in Manchester.

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