Anna Sabine MP Launches Petition to Stop Cuts to Frome Community Hospital
Anna Sabine MP Launches Petition to Stop Cuts to Frome Community Hospital
Anna Sabine MP for Frome and East Somerset has today launched a petition, alongside Cllr Adam Boyden, calling for an urgent reversal of proposed cuts to Frome Community Hospital that could see vital beds and capacity lost.
The cuts, reportedly driven by issues in patient flow from acute hospitals, would see pressure ramped up on local services by reducing inpatient care and shifting focus to outpatient treatment.
Anna Sabine MP said:
“The idea that the solution to hospital pressure is to cut beds is completely absurd. Taking away beds and staff from Frome Community Hospital won’t reduce demand, it will simply push the burden onto already overstretched workers and compromise patient care.”
During a recent visit to Bath RUH, Anna witnessed the strain firsthand, with patients occupying beds while waiting for space in community hospitals like Frome. She warned that the knock-on effects of bed cuts could be severe, not only for RUH and other acute hospitals in the area, but also for local care homes and community services.
“This short-sighted approach of cutting costs at the expense of care is damaging the entire system. Our hospitals don’t need fewer beds, they need proper investment. Slashing capacity won’t make patients disappear, it just shifts the problem onto carers, charities and families already at breaking point.”
"I've spoken to the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and I'm not happy with the rationale for these changes. We know the RUH struggles to discharge people and yet we're closing beds which would help this. We're also being promised more services at Community Hospitals across Somerset but not necessarily Frome. It worries me that this is another example of Frome being short changed."
“For those in Frome and the surrounding villages, it’s vital that they have access to a hospital near to them, without necessitating travel to Bath or elsewhere. With limited access to public transport, the accessibility of Frome’s hospital is fundamental to the needs of the area and if this is the thin edge of the wedge, it could lead to further closures down the line, which simply aren’t acceptable”.
Anna and Cllr Boyden are urging residents to sign the petition and stand up for proper healthcare provision in Frome.
Cllr Adam Boyden said:
“Frome Community Hospital is vitally important to the people of Frome and surrounding villages because it means people who are recovering from major injury and illness can be given appropriate medical care and looked after in a safe and secure environment much closer to home.
The people of Frome must come together and challenge, object and resist these harmful cuts to our local NHS, and to support the caring staff who give an excellent service day in day out. It will need a big community campaign to come together and make a difference here. So please join us and get involved.”
The link to the petition is here: https://www.anna4fes.uk/campaigns/stop-the-cuts-at-frome-hospital