A PROTEST about a lack of investment in NHS funding is to be made in Malvern over the weekend.
West Worcestershire Labour Party chairman Daniel Walton will lead the protest outside Malvern Community Hospital on Saturday at around 1pm.
Despite Worcestershire Health and Care Trust stating recently there is no threat to community hospitals in Worcestershire, Mr Walton says he is concerned about the future of Malvern Community Hospital.
Speaking to the Observer, Mr Walton said: “When I was running to be MP n 2015, Harry Turner, the then Chair of the NHS Trust in Worcestershire told me he wanted to see community hospitals such as the one in Worcestershire used more.
“My fear now is that with the direction of travel with these hospitals, with the immense pressure to cut funding and the number of beds, there is a threat to them and I really don’t think Malvern is safe.
“On Saturday 21st the local Labour Party will showing their support on Worcester Road from 1pm to ensure the Community Hospital isn’t threatened.”
Asked for a response to the scheduled protest, a Worcestershire Health and Care Trust spokesman reissued the Trust’s stance – reported last month – that community hospitals had a bright future ahead.
He said: “We see Community Hospitals having an important part to play in the future, in some cases doing much more than they currently do.
“We have no plans to close any community hospitals in Worcestershire and believe they have a key role to play in providing some of the more routine care and treatment in the community closer to where you live.
“If demand for beds goes down because more people are getting the care they need at home, then the number of beds in community hospitals could change, but we would like to reassure people that the sites remain an important part of the future of health care in Worcestershire.”
