Warning from hospital chief executive (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Warning from hospital chief executive

NORTH Cotswold residents have been warned they could endanger their hospitals' futures by clamouring for the reopening of Bourton-on-the-Water's closed patient beds.

Richard James, Cotswold and Vale Primary Care Trust's chief executive, issued this warning while addressing the continuing closure of eight beds at Moore Cottage Hospital.

The trust closed them in December, saving almost £18,000 and saying they would reopen in March.

It also closed Moreton-in-Marsh District Hospital beds over Christmas, saving more than £13,000.

It says Bourton's wards remain closed partly because of difficulties recruiting nurses deterred from working locally by soaring Cotswold house prices.

Fearing this situation heralded the hospital's closure, residents demanded it reopen.

Mr James said at least two Moore Cottage beds have always been empty over the last three months, in addition to the closed ones.

Saying the beds would have been empty even if they had been open, he added: "We need to focus on the services our hospitals can provide to increase local access to the NHS but these services must make economic sense.

"If our communities continue to emphasise the need for beds, and do not engage with the wider issue of local access to such services as outpatient, diagnostics and rehabilitation, our hospitals' future will continue to be challenged."

Bourton's Councillor Sheila Jeffery, campaigning for reopening, said the closures were expensive because the trust is paying to send patients to Cheltenham General Hospital.

Threatening to go to the Health Minister, Cllr Jeffery said: "I'm just getting pessimistic.

"We want the hospital up and running."