RESIDENTS BACK RETENTION OF KEY SERVICES AT BISHOP AUCKLAND GENERAL HOSPITAL
A wide-ranging survey of local residents conducted by Helen has shown strong support for retaining key services at Bishop Auckland General Hospital (BAGH)
The ‘Your Hospital, Your Say’ consultation, open to all residents in Bishop Auckland, show a large majority (71%) would like to see the £43 million increase in the local healthcare budget spent on improving hospitals, and that Accident and Emergency (93%) is the service people would most like to retain at BAGH.
Helen said: “We have had an excellent response to this survey, which underlines how much local support there is for retaining high quality services at Bishop Auckland General.
The results support the point I have always made – that key services like Accident and Emergency must be kept at Bishop, and that it is unreasonable to expect people to travel to Darlington Memorial to use these services”.
Helen has written to the County Durham Primary Care Trust, the North East Strategic Health Authority and the Co. Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to inform them of these results, and to emphasise how important these key services are to the local community.
A full copy of the results are shown below:
Total responses: 535 (as of 23 April)
Q1. I would like to see the extra £43 million spent on:
● Improving hospitals - 71%
● Improving GP Services - 10%
● Both - 12%
● No answer given - 7%
Q2. I think it is most essential to retain the following services at Bishop Auckland General Hospital:
● Accident & Emergency - 93%
● X-Ray facilities - 86%
● Maternity services - 80%
● Stroke care - 79%
● Elderly care - 72%
● Orthopaedics - 71%
● Paediatrics - 68%
● Long term care - 52%
● Brain surgery - 27%
Other answers to Q2 volunteered by respondents included:
● Adequate transport to Darlington Memorial Hospital – 47 responses
● Car Parking facilities – 12 responses
● Cardiology – 12
● Cancer care – 12
● Additional staff – 9
● Increased hygiene standards - 8
● More beds – 7
