Hospital meeting

Had an interesting meeting at the Guildhall this evening on the future of the hospital. The Chief Executive of the hospital went through their development plans for the next few years and talked about the investment in capital that is going into the site. Inevitably when it came to questions they tended to focus on cleanliness and infection control. I have two councillors I know who have recently been into the hospital and were very unhappy about the cleanliness of the hospital. I visited one of them and was struck by the overwhelming smell of urine on the ward as you stepped out of the lift.

There is no doubt that the hospital staff do an excellent job in very difficult circumstances. I also sometimes wonder whether the cleanliness issue is not also tied up in the general condition of the buildings at the hospital, which are in parts tatty and at worse look unhygienic even if they are not.

Other issues that emerged were the pressure being put on the maternity unit and the significant numbers they turn away monthly. Couple this with the current pans to close Epsom Hospital and we must all worry about the impact that this will have on our hospital. I am glad that the Conservative MP in Epsom and Ewell, Chris Grayling, is mounting a very vocal campaign against closure.