Lost petition delays health cuts

Walnuttree Hospital in Sudbury may be closed altogether

A hospital trust has been forced to postpone a decision on cutbacks after bosses admitted that thousands of letters of objection have gone missing.

An 11,000 signature petition and 5,000 letters in support of The Walnuttree Hospital in Sudbury have gone astray.

Some of the letters appear to have been sent to the Department of Health instead of the West Suffolk Primary Care Trust where they should have gone.

As a result they have not been included in the consultation process.

The PCT has delayed the decision until the matter is resolved.

Taken into account

In a statement the PCT said it had learned that an unknown number of letters had been received by the Department of Health in response to the Modernising Healthcare in West Suffolk public consultation.

As the PCT cannot find out how many there are and their significance, it has "regrettably had to defer its decision".

The Modernising Healthcare in West Suffolk consultation document makes it clear that responses should have been sent directly to the PCT.

Mike Stonard, PCT chief executive, said: "We are working with the Department of Health to check that these responses have not already been included because we would want to analyse this significant additional feedback so it can be taken into account."

The planned cutbacks at up to six hospitals including The Walnuttree Hospital aim to reduce millions of pounds of debts run up by trusts across the county.