Cheryl Gillan writes:
WHEN an organisation like the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) draws attention to the state of the NHS, people listen carefully, because nurses are at the front line of the health service.
The RCN has reported that more than 22,300 posts have been lost in the health service in the past 18 months.
I have received letters from doctors and nurses who have completed their training and cannot find posts to practise their skills; and from their families, who know how committed these newly-qualified practitioners are to working in the NHS and caring for patients.
We do desperately need those skills within the health service.
At the same time, another report on housing told us that 90 per cent of nurses cannot afford the average price for a home, which is now more than £100,000. Some years ago, Amersham Hospital provided housing for key workers, which is a good solution, but such schemes are not widespread.
I am particularly worried about two areas which were highlighted by the Royal College.
These are the loss of services for patients with mental health problems, and the closure of rural community hospitals.
Mental health care is part of the health service which is seldom talked about, but which is absolutely vital to people’s well-being. Support through an episode of clinical depression, for example, can mean that an individual is able to go back to work, rather than face losing his or her job.
Locally, we have seen the effect of the closure of Chesham Hospital, which was just the kind of community hospital which the Government says they want to encourage.
We were promised replacement facilities before the hospital closed, but these have yet to materialise.
Both these services have, I feel, been affected by the period of upheaval last year when the strategic health authorities and the primary care trusts were reorganised.
Patients have been the losers because of the effect of this upheaval – and so have the nurses who provide essential care.
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