Frenchay petition to go to hospital bosses

By Labour South Gloucestershire

Labour's online petition calling on the North Bristol NHS Trust to overturn its decision to externalise nursing at the new community hospital at Frenchay is set to be delivered on Thursday morning (25th October).

South Gloucestershire's Labour councillors launched the online petition in response to the NHS's announcement that nursing care at the new Frenchay community hospital would not be provided by the NHS when it opens in 2014.  The councillors argue that this externalisation amounts to a "part privatisation" that was never part of the original Bristol Health Services Plan which will see acute services move to the new super-hospital at Southmead.

Since the announcement, North Bristol NHS Trust has paused the procurement of a private sector partner and the councillors set up the online petition to allow members of the public to express their opposition to the proposed part privatisation.  The petition has closed today with 184 names, and will be submitted to hospital bosses at their monthly public Board meeting on Thursday 25th October.

Labour's Lead on Health matters, Councillor Ian Scott (Labour, Filton), who will deliver the petition on Thursday, said:

"Patients in NHS beds should be nursed by NHS nurses and Labour councillors are opposed to the part privatisation of this care.  This is a major change from the original plans and shows that the Tories' love of the market is being imposed on public services and it must be stopped.  Our petition asks the North Bristol Trust to overturn the decision to externalise."

Labour Group Leader Councillor Andy Perkins (Labour, Woodstock) added:

"The possibility that the new Frenchay community hospital would not be an all-NHS facility when it opens was never on the cards when the Bristol Health Services Plan was agreed.  This move by the NHS amounts to a part privatisation and I fear it is a sign of what the Tory-led government plans to do with our public services."