Iraq war halts hospital closures

Iraq war halts hospital closures

Middlesbrough General Hospital may receive war casualties

The war in Iraq has halted the closure of two hospitals on Teesside.

Services at Middlesbrough General Hospital and the North Riding Infirmary were due to transfer to a single site at the new James Cook University Hospital.

But bosses have vowed not to move the remaining departments after they revealed they could begin receiving casualties from the conflict.

South Tees NHS Trust is one of a number of Ministry of Defence (MoD) assigned trusts, casualties from the war on Iraq could be treated on Teesside.

And bosses feel the James Cook is not yet fully ready to start receiving the injured.

Trauma injuries

A spokesperson for South Tees NHS Trust said: "Middlesbrough General have all the facilities we would need to receive casualties from Iraq, such as the A&E department, neurosurgery and burns unit.

"We provide specialist services for major trauma so it is not a good time to be moving house in these circumstances."

She added that the units - including trauma and neurosurgery - will eventually move across town in the summer months, when the work is fully completed.

Bill Murray, the trust's chief executive, said: "There are still several key areas where work needs to be done.

"The last thing I want is for wards and departments to move before we are satisfied that patient care is not being compromised."

'Critical care departments'

A number of units from the hospitals have already moved across town to the single-site, but the operation was due to be completed early this year before the sites finally close.

Mr Murray added: "The issue for the trust is, is it responsible to move accident and emergency, critical care departments and other clinical services which inter-link before we are absolutely certain everything is to the highest standard at the other end?

"Taking all this into account, we have spoken with our private sector partners and decided to put back a number of moves until the summer months.

"Our critics may argue this is down to failings in the Private Finance Initiative but this is a decision the management team and myself are entirely comfortable with.

"We are a hospital and we want it to be right. Patient safety is of paramount importance to us and ultimately it is what staff and patients deserve."