Local MP Mark Pawsey has responded to Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s consultation on urgent and emergency care services by calling for the restoration of Accident and Emergency at Rugby’s Hospital of St Cross.
The Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services in Coventry and Warwickshire, ran a listening exercise to better understand the views and needs for services in the area. In particular, the exercise sought to understand people’s experiences in visiting urgent care services and how people believed that the challenges faced by urgent and emergency care can be overcome.
Mark has written to Dr Sarah Raistrick, Chair of Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group to set out his views on how Urgent and Emergency Care in Rugby can be improved. In his letter, Mark has highlighted that when the decision was taken in the late 1990s to downgrade the Accident and Emergency service at St Cross, it was argued by the NHS that Rugby was not large enough to provide sufficient opportunities for clinicians to maintain their services. However, throughout his time as Rugby’s MP Mark has consistently advocated for more services at St Cross, especially as the town has grown and will continue to grow in the coming years.
The MP has also highlighted how, even at current sizes, there are a number of similar sized towns which have A&E services, and Rugby is set to grow further following the adoption of an ambitious Local Plan to deliver 12,500 new homes by 2031. As such, Mark has urged Dr Raistrick to fully consider the restoration of an Accident and Emergency Department at Rugby’s Hospital of St Cross.
Local residents can respond to the consultation at: https://coventrywarwickshireccg.nhs.uk/your-voice/our-engagement-and-consultations/ and the consultation closes on June 1st 2021.
Speaking after writing to Dr Raistrick, Mark said:
“Since becoming Rugby’s Member of Parliament, the town has grown considerably. This has brought more investment and more jobs into our community, as well as providing the homes for future generations to be able to live in. However, I have always said that as the town grows, it must be accompanied by investment in infrastructure and public services, and that must include at our local Hospital of St Cross.”
Mark continued:
“The review of Urgent and Emergency care across Coventry and Warwickshire needs to not only consider the present users of the services, but also the future implications of growth both in Rugby and in Coventry. This will have an inevitable impact on the ability of my constituents to access services at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, which is already approaching capacity. As such, it seems clear that there is an significant case for the restoration of an Accident and Emergency department at the Hospital of St Cross and I have asked Dr Raistrick and her colleagues to give full consideration to this in their review.”
Mark concluded:
“I want the voice of Rugby residents to be heard in this consultation, which is why I have written directly to Dr Raistrick. However, we need as many people as possible to respond to this consultation to ensure that the Clinical Commissioning Group understand the strength of feeling here and the importance to Rugby residents for good local health services at the Hospital of St Cross.”