MP Aidan Burley seeking to secure future of Cannock Chase Hospital
Converting parts of Cannock Chase Hospital to offices or classrooms is among options being put forward to safeguard the future of the site, it emerged today.
MP Aidan Burley has unveiled a raft of proposals for the hospital after bosses admitted it is operating at 40 per cent of capacity, sparking fears it could be closed.
He will later this week chair the first meeting of a working group he has set up amid speculation over services being withdrawn from Cannock.
Plans to close the kitchens at the hospital and instead send food from Stafford were announced this summer, in a move expected to save £220,000 a year. Health chiefs need to save £10.4 million over the next three years but more than 2,000 people have signed a petition against the proposals to shut the kitchens.
Hospital chief executive Lyn Hill-Tout has agreed to attend Friday's meeting. Cannock Chase Council leader George Adamson will also be there.
Health watchdog Monitor is carrying out a review of the finances of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Cannock and Stafford hospitals, as it tries to balance the books.
Cannock Chase MP?Mr Burley has drawn up a list of suggestions to increase use of the hospital site, which he says is posting an £8m annual deficit. They include providing extra GP surgeries there, as well as renting out rooms to councils or schools.
He said: "People are understandably very concerned about the future of Cannock Hospital. Closing it will doubtless be one option recommended by the Monitor taskforce in March 2013.
"Before then we have a five month window locally to come up with an alternative solution and find options to secure the hospital's future.
"This working group is my attempt to bring together all the key stakeholders and NHS experts in one room to discuss and come up with a positive lasting solution.
"I look forward to working with all those who have agreed to take part in the group and hearing their ideas."