PRESS STATEMENT
6th August 2001

West Cornwall HealthWatch is astounded by the statement issued last week by Rachael Crawley, Chief Officer of Cornwall Community Health Council. Referring to the current Review into the future of West Cornwall Hospital, she said

"So far no-one - , Penwith Council, the general public or a member of the hospital staff - has asked us to get involved."

Spokesman for Joe McKenna said, "This statement is totally untrue. On Friday 4th May a meeting took place between both our organisations. Present at this meeting were Neil Burden, Chair of the CHC, and Ms Crawley. Throughout the meeting continually requested the CHC to intervene immediately in the Review process, and spelled out why in the opinion of the public the process was totally flawed. Time and time again Neil Burden and Ms Crawley refused our requests. They stated that they preferred to wait until the Review was complete and the Health Authority had announced its decision, before considering whether any action was necessary on their part."

Mr McKenna added, "Given that the CHC is supposed to be the statutory "Patient Watchdog", we found their decision to be utterly incomprehensible. However, to claim now that they have never been asked to intervene, calls into question their future role in this debate. If the CHC cannot be relied on to reflect truthfully the views of the public, and be able to pass these on accurately to the Secretary of State for Health, then quite frankly, the Cornish people are, once again, on their own."

would like to add its voice to those urging caution in the face of the optimistic comments being issued after last week's meeting of health managers and local clinicians at the Tregenna Castle Hotel in St Ives. The options being discussed at the meeting were those first proposed last year, and include proposals for the removal of A&E services at West Cornwall Hospital and for all such cases to be sent to Treliske.

Mr Mckenna said "We welcomed last week's announcement that all paramedics in the west of Cornwall are to begin training in administering the potentially life saving thrombolytic drugs, so necessary in most heart attack cases. This is something the public has been asking for, and will be a boon in our area given its scattered and isolated population.. However, concerns have been expressed that the reason this is to be introduced first in the west of the country, is that it is a prelude to the announcement that West Cornwall Hospital is not to be permitted a full 24-hour Consultant/doctor led A&E Department.

Comments have also been made on local radio suggesting that at the public consultations to be held later this year, the public will be able to vote on each option. This is not the case. The words "public consultation" is NHS jargon for a meeting at which the public will be told which option the health authority and clinicians have decided is in their best interests and is therefore to be implemented.

calls on everyone to add his or her name to The Cornishman newspaper's letter of protest. Mr McKenna stated: "If we are to be on our own, let's make sure we are on our own together!"