New exhibition and roadshow events have been added to the calendar as part of a public consultation seeking people’s views on a proposed change to some hospital services in Northern Lincolnshire.
The local NHS is stressing there are no plans to make changes to accident and emergency departments and most hospital services would remain as they are now.
However, it is proposing to consolidate a small number of more complex medical, urgent and emergency care and paediatric (children’s) services at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, rather than across the two hospital sites in Grimsby and Scunthorpe General Hospital.
It says bringing trauma, overnight emergency surgery, longer-stay paediatrics, and some medical specialities on to a single site would “improve services for those with the most urgent and complex needs”. And it says the change would help keep services safe and of high quality in the long term.
A public consultation on the proposal was launched in September. It continues until 5 January. Thousands of people have already completed an online questionnaire. Several hundred have attended one of the public events.
Targeted focus groups with a wide range of community groups (including armed forces communities, people with learning disabilities, children and young people, disabled people and carers) are also continuing this month.
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has now announced there will be three further exhibitions for those who were unable to make it to the public events in October:-
- Monday 4 December, noon-3pm at Scunthorpe Central Library, Carlton Street
- Thursday 7 December, 12.15pm-3.15pm at Morton Village Hall, Morton, Gainsborough
- Saturday 9 December, 10am-2pm in St John’s Market, Jubilee Way, Scunthorpe
People are also welcome to drop in to one of the community roadshows which are continuing this month:-
- Monday 20 November (11am-1pm) – Immingham Civic Centre Hub
- Wednesday 22 November (10am-noon) – Centre4 in Grimsby
- Tuesday 28 November (1-3pm) – Asda superstore, Burringham Rd, Scunthorpe
- Wednesday 29 November (11am-1pm) – Louth Library
And there’s still the opportunity for people to sign up to an online discussion event taking place on Wednesday 6 December from 6.30pm to 8pm – visit www.betterhospitalshumber.nhs.uk/giving-your-views/ to book your place.
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB Director for North Lincolnshire, Alex Seale, said: “It’s been great to talk to people about this proposal over the last seven weeks. There’s another seven weeks of the consultation to go and I would encourage anyone living or working in northern Lincolnshire to attend one of the in-person exhibition or drop-in events, or join the online discussion, if you haven’t already had your say.
“We are keen to emphasise the services we are considering changing are primarily for patients who need more complex emergency diagnosis, treatment and care after receiving an initial assessment through one of our Emergency Departments (A&Es) in Scunthorpe or Grimsby.”
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust Chief Medical Officer, Kate Wood, added: “The vast majority of patients who use our hospitals would continue to be seen and treated in the same hospital they are now (around 400 a day who need urgent and emergency care and more than 1,300 a day with planned appointments or operations).
“Those who have a more complex medical need would be treated in Grimsby. They would arrive in an ambulance or be taken by free inter-hospital transport if they have received their initial medical assessment at Scunthorpe.
“The proposed change – if implemented – would impact around 14 patients each day. However, we anticipate the number of patients affected to be lower in the longer term as services adapt to new and improved ways of working.
“We would also like to stress that if the change is implemented, people would still take a poorly child to the same local hospital as they do currently – 24/7 Emergency Departments (A&E) and Paediatric Assessment Units (PAU) would continue to be delivered at both Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby and Scunthorpe General Hospital.”
People can find out more about the NHS proposal and have their say at www.betterhospitalshumber.nhs.uk NHS Number and Yorkshire ICB says consultation responses will be considered carefully before any decision is taken.