Co-ordinator: Marna Blundy, 4 Botallack Moor, St Just, PENZANCE, Cornwall TR19 7QH
Tel / Fax 01736 788107
westcornwallhealthwatch@yahoo.co.uk

PRESS STATEMENT: 15TH NOVEMBER 2004

HAVE YOU BEEN AFFECTED BY
THE LOSS OF OUT-OF-HOURS EMERGENCY SURGERY AT WEST CORNWALL?

Following last week's article about the loss of out-of-hours emergency surgery at West Cornwall Hospital, HealthWatch has learned of several cases where patients have been taken to Truro at evenings and weekends in order to receive emergency surgery. This has caused great distress to elderly patients and their relatives, who had reasonably expected that West Cornwall Hospital would have received them. In one case the patient died following transfer to Truro, which made the bereavement harder to bear for his elderly widow. In another case, an anxious husband had great difficulty in visiting his elderly wife who had been sent to Truro for surgery at the weekend.

Mrs Blundy comments: "We find the current situation quite intolerable. Following their visit to Penzance earlier this year, the Royal College of Surgeons recommended that emergency surgery should be offered seven days a week at West Cornwall. However, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has chosen to ignore this recommendation, and as a result local people are disadvantaged. It is not acceptable that our operating theatres are unused from Friday afternoon to Monday morning, when surgical emergencies can and do arise at any time of the day or night. Furthermore, transferring all surgical patients to Treliske puts added strain on an already overburdened hospital. The Trust says that the loss of out-of-hours emergency surgery affects very few patients - simply, we are not convinced by their statement or their figures, and would like to know the truth."

Another member of West Cornwall HealthWatch, Penwith District Council's "Champion Councillor for Services for Older People", Councillor Chris Goninan, who is also a member of the county council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee, is now appealing for other patients and families who have been transferred to Treliske for emergency surgery to get in touch with the organization. HealthWatch would like to establish just how many cases there have been since out-of-hours emergencies were taken away from West Cornwall Hospital. They would like to know what impact this had on the patient and the family, and any particular difficulties which may have arisen because of the transfer of emergency surgery "up the road." This is a situation which can affect patients of any age, but the circumstances can become even more difficult and stressful when patients and families are elderly.

Patients and families can contact HealthWatch in total confidence by phoning 01736 788107, or by writing to Councillor Chris Goninan c/o St Just Town Council Offices.