'Absolute stupidity': 60-MILE trip to visit hospital under plans

Proposals have been made for all Wyre Forest rehabilitation services for stroke patients to be transferred to Evesham.

There is currently a rehabilitation unit at Worcester and some patients receive treatment at Kidderminster Hospital

Former Wyre Forest MP and hospital consultant Dr Richard Taylor labelled the move to transfer patients to Evesham as "absolute stupidity" and wants health chiefs to rethink their plans. He has also called for better bus services between Kidderminster Hospital, the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, and Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Dr Taylor said that if the plans went ahead it would mean a 60-mile round trip for visitors and it was essential that health chiefs provided better links for relatives wanting to visit patients.

Dr Taylor wants officials to consider using spare space at Kidderminster Hospital as a rehabilitation unit instead.

Consultations on the future of acute hospital services in Worcestershire are due to end today.

Dr Taylor said: "Under the proposals there are plans to increase day case and short-stay surgery at Kidderminster Hospital which we are pleased about.

"But they seem to have forgotten that we exist when it comes to the provision of bus links and there is very little comfort in the proposals of more services being brought to Kidderminster for people in the Wyre Forest.

"They are thinking of moving stroke rehabilitation to Evesham but how can our families get there from the Wyre Forest area? This is absolute stupidity and a case of the different health trusts not working together.

"There is masses of spare capacity and room at Kidderminster that could be used instead of sending stroke rehabilitation patients more than 30 miles away to Evesham. There is also a problem with bus services., so how are people expected to travel to Evesham?"

The 350 bus runs three times-a-day between Redditch and Worcester bus stations and stops at both the Alexandra and Worcestershire Royal Hospitals.

Worcestershire County Council has said it would cost £180,000-a-year to increase the frequency of its bus services. to between every 60 and 90 minutes.

Health bosses have suggested increasing the use of community-run transportin the county to enable patients and visitors to be taken from home to hospital or providing a minibus servicebetween the hospitals.

They suggest that a minibus could run between the Alexandra and Worcestershire Royal on a continuous loop which would also include Kidderminster.

This could be used by patients, visitors and staff.

However, this would cost e estimated cost of a minibus would bean estimated £380,000-a-year and officials have said that this would have to be met from existing health budgets.