Closer to Home

At the Millom Neighbourhood Forum on Monday evening, Peter Clarke, the PCT's associate director of public engagement, gave a presentation.

During the discussion he repeated the important news that the consultation period has been extended to 1st February. There will be a public meeting in Millom in January (we had previously been told that there will also be one in Whitehaven.)

He also further clarified the proposals in the report on the number of beds in Community Hospitals such as those at Millom and Keswick.

While the consultation document does appear to read as though a reduction in bed numbers is proposed, Mr Clarke said that this was not necessarily intended and added that the document could perhaps have been better worded.

The bed numbers quoted on page 24 of the consultation document are the intermediate step up and step down beds required to support the "Closer to Home" strategy but local decisions will be made on the number of beds required in each. Mr Clarke emphasised the possibility that there will be other beds at these hospitals and that the number of beds will not necessarily reduce.

I suggest that anyone who is concerned about the number of beds at the community hospitals should respond to the consultation and say so.