Lib Dems Anger at Royal Surrey A&E Proposals

1.51.36pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 21st Apr 2006

Local Lib Dems have reacted with fury to the news the Royal Surrey is to 'consult' on the future of its Accident and Emergency Unit. The news has shocked staff and local people.

Local Liberal Democrats are appalled at the idea of 'consulting' on such a vital service, which if closed or reduced in any way, will put local people at risk. We know what happens with these consultations - it costs a lot of money to talk to a lot of people and then they still go ahead with their original plans! Of particular concern are urgent cases such as heart attacks, strokes and accidents where getting treatment at the right time makes all the difference. We know that since the closure of Ashford Hospital it has been impossible to park close to the hospital. Congestion is a major problem and can block access by ambulance.

Patients living to the south of Guildford will be disappointed to learn that Horsham and Crawley hospitals have closed their A&E department. The Royal Surrey has successfully opened a walk in centre, run by highly trained nursing staff. However this facility is not open on a 24 hour basis and is not staffed to deal with emergencies requiring a doctor.

County Councillor Pauline Searle, a member of the County's Health Scrutiny committee said: "I know how much local people rely on our hospital. It has improved its services enormously in recent years and it is quite wrong to downgrade it." Proposed changes to the services would leave parents having to take their children to Frimley Park hospital. The new ward is fantastic, how can this all be allowed to go to waste."

There are many unanswered questions in the proposals. In particular the Orthopaedic and Neurology departments, which work closely with A&E will be affected. Urgent treatment for eye problems such as detached retina will not be provided at Woking. It is uncertain where head injuries will be treated.

Lib Dems have put the blame fairly and squarely at the door of the government. We are paying for the government's failure to manage its finances properly. They couldn't even correctly calculate the cost of the doctors' contracts. Their £6bn IT project is set to fail, in fact I doubt if they could even manage to work out the cost of an elastoplast. This is a shabby way to treat our community, and a shabby way to treat NHS staff who have worked so hard to improve services."