Orthopaedic Centre consultation
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust have just launched a public consultation on their proposal to build a new £44million Orthopaedic Centre at Colchester Hospital. The Centre will take all elective surgery for hip and knee replacements which are currently carried out at Ipswich. Today, Dr. Shane Gordon, Head of Strategy, gave details of the proposed development to County and Borough councillors and stressed that the crowded Ipswich hospital site meant a centre here would cost tens of millions of pounds more to build. Additionally, a Colchester Centre would free-up buldings that could be converted into a new day surgery suite. He also explained that the Trust continued to regard both sites as vital to the provision of health services in Suffolk and North East Essex for the future.
A major area of concern for Cllrs. Inga Lockington and Oliver Holmes has been patient transport to Colchester, both from Ipswich and from outlying districts. Dr Gordon said that exact details had not been put into the consultation document as he hoped residents would provide the Trust with suggestions based on their experiences which could then be addressed in the consultation response. It is vital that residents raise concerns on this issue - taxis and community buses have already been put forward. The closure date is 1st April 2020.
Full details of the proposal can be obtained on the link here.