It’s Good News that the ‘Blood Clinics’ on this side of Wolverhampton are to stay open for three months pending further enquiries into its viability, following the objections I made to their loss here on Ashmore Park.
Since I made my protest on your behalf. I have been given further assurances that the Trust will consult with local people in future, before any decision is made that may lead to the closure of this service.
I have been in contact with Healthwatch which is an organisation dedicated to assisting patients. I was keen to understand what they felt about the loss of the Phlebotomy clinics, especially the one on Ashmore Park. It’s slowly becoming clear that it is the Royal Hospital Trust that is the driver of this decision. Indeed it was the local Doctor and his Practice Manager that placed the notice on the door of the waiting room, only to help patients of the Phlebotomy clinic.
The notice was aimed at being ‘a helpful notice’ explaining that the ‘Blood Clinic’ was to close. Yet the Doctors Practice were not party to the actual decision taking at all!
I owe them an apology because the ‘’Scruffy little notice’ that I made such a play of, was placed there to help people! I feel bad about that. But in its way it highlighted how badly the decision makers had thought through their communications strategy, or the means that their patients had to access transport to other alternative locations.
I have asked Healthwatch three questions which are all Germaine to the point I am trying to establish. I have suggested that the communications plan hatched to close the ‘blood clinics’ was poorly presented and lacked any authority. I have had a conversation with the Hospitals Communications Director and I have told him this. I have asked why was the original decision taken to close the clinic? There certainly was no reasons given, no explanation.
I have also asked Health Watch if they have asked RWT if they have any ideas of where their patients that use the blood clinics live? Also if there had been any analysis of how they can attend clinics, and if the new clinics were providing facilities, were in fact on the route of public transport? One of the strong revulsions I have of the original decision to close the clinics was this so called plan lacked any detailed understanding of how sick people accessed the clinics and how the clinics were served by Public Transport.
I asked Heath Watch if they had covered off any of these issue when talking to the Hospital or Trust……it appears to me that they have not! Consultation on the future of these clinics, at best was poor, but in truth there was no meaningful consultation. I am still waiting for information. I will continue to support constituents.
I am still of the opinion that we will need to be strong In our approach to keep these services. I want the public to join with me and let the hospital, the Board , and Heathwatch know that this service is valued and should stay in the current locations. Please leave your thoughts.
