PRESS RELEASE
Rachel Maclean, MP for Redditch County, took the hopper bus service from the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch to a meeting and visit to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital yesterday (Tuesday, 1 August 2017).
She spent three hours being shown round some of the hospital wards and departments by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust chairman Caragh Merrick, who updated her on the current status of the Trust and her ambitions for its future.
Rachel said: “My whole day was extremely encouraging. First of all the hopper bus journey proved very pleasant and hassle free – and second I learned about some of the real good news stories coming from the hospital.”
Rachel was shown round the specialist cardiac ward, the Silver Assessment unit for the elderly frail, as well as the Riverbank ward for paediatric inpatients, the Meadow Birth Centre and finally the A&E.
“I was fascinated to learn details of plans to make Redditch an essential part of the strategy for the delivery of specialist county-wide services,” said Rachel. “For instance it is to become the centre for the elderly frail, and essentially, the go-ahead has been given for a vital upgrade and enlargement of the A&E department in Worcester, which is to be welcomed given recent pressures on that department.
“The birthing facilities at Worcester are some of the best in the country, while I was pleased to see how friendly and welcoming the paediatric ward was for the parents of very poorly children.
“Staff at the hospital have been through the mill with the recent CQC report and publicity surrounding reorganisation, but it is heartening to see how professional and caring all the staff remain, and how positive and proud they are about the excellent facilities they provide.
“I think it’s also well worth saying that I have heard and that the staff have told me about some of the recent feedback they’ve had from Redditch families about the excellent care they’ve received at the hospital.”
Rachel is calling for the transport service to be continued after August and will be organising a visit to Redditch’s Alex in the near future.