This is written by my friend and colleague, Stephen George.
Until the last few months of his terminal illness, my late father
Colin George chaired the Southend Hospital Charitable Foundation, a
committee comprised of local people that helped to raise millions of
pounds for the provision of amongst other things specialist equipment
for the Stroke Unit enabling it to become one of the best in this
country.
As a politician he knew that in
reality there are actually very few times when people elected to
positions of power locally are privileged enough to wield that power in
order to shape, influence and even make a real decision that makes a
real difference. This is one of those times!
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| Stephen George |
Ironically
I was in Hadleigh on Saturday 6th October to discuss with my mother and
sister the disposal of my fathers ashes, who having given his body for
medical research was only recently cremated as the medical researchers
keep donated bodies for three years before releasing the remains to
their families. Afterwards I had to go to Basildon as my son had been
invited to a birthday party unfortunately we arrived as it finished
having been delayed by the accident at the Rayleigh Weir that occurred
earlier in the morning and there was traffic chaos on the A127 and A13
as people sought alternative routes from Southend to Basildon.
Then
think of the 'golden hour', the period of time between the occurrence
of a stroke and the provision of treatment needed in order for there to
be a favourable patient outcome. Think of a resident living in the
Garrison site in Shoebury and even with a blue light I suspect any
ambulance would have struggled to make it from Shoebury to Basildon in
under an hour.
My fathers life was saved at an
early age by the predecessor of the NHS and as a result remained a firm
believer in the NHS. He was a man who devoted his life to the town and
people of Southend as a Councillor, County Councillor, Magistrate,
General Secretary of the local Citizens Advice Bureau for over 30 years,
Chair of Estuary Housing Association and finally as Chair of Southend
Hospital's Charitable Foundation.
I know my
father would be favour of improved NHS services, however he would not be
in favour of change if it was detrimental to patients and other
services. Unfortunately it appears that under the STP this is clearly
the case.
Therefore I urge you, on behalf of my
late father, do not allow the betrayal of thousands of Southend people
who raised millions of pounds for their local Hospital and Stroke Unit.
Do not 'sit on the fence' or allow yourself to be threatened by
arguments of 'lost funding', but instead do the 'right thing for the
good of Southend and its people' and refer all or even part of the STP
back to the Secretary of State for Health now before it is too late!
