St Michaels Hospital to Close
St Michaels Hospital to Close |
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The closure plan comes in the wake of the decision by Cornwall County Councillors to postpone a decision to seek a review of health services in West Cornwall when they met in May. The loss of the 70 bed elective surgery unit at Hayle will inevitably lead to an increase in waiting times for operations in West Cornwall and seems to be contrary to the recent government proclamations on decentralised services. Any decision to close St Michaels is also going to question the viability and future of St Julia's Hospice as while it is not strictly speaking part of St Michaels and is not run by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, there is a sharing of some resources. Is this another example of Hayle sitting back and allowing itself to be robbed of resources? Perhaps Hayle will be declared an 'Illness Free Zone' to accompany its 'Fire Free Zone' status! What they said in 2004 (from the RCH Trust's own web site!) The long awaited purchase of St Michael's Hospital in Hayle, from The Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross of Liege, was completed in November 2003, securing the long term future of the hospital. St Michael's Hospital plays a crucial part in the delivery of health care in the county, carrying out more than 5,000 operations each year. Its 69 beds are largely unaffected by peaks in demand for emergency admissions which means the hospital is able to offer 'ring fenced' facilities for planned surgery; essential to reducing waiting lists and providing quicker treatment for patients from across Cornwall. The range of operations carried out at the hospital has expanded over recent years and now includes procedures in general surgery, urology, oral surgery, and orthopaedics including hip and knee replacements. St Michael's Hospital is also a major outpatient centre for the county seeing more than 17,000 patients each year and is home to the specialist rehabilitation unit, Marie Therese House, which provides in and outpatient care for patients with neurological conditions and brain injuries. Services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and x-ray provide essential support in the diagnosis and treatment of in and outpatients at the hospital.
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