Wythenshawe Loses Super Hospital Battle
A judge has ruled that Stepping Hill Hospital will stay as one of the four specialist centre's to be created in Greater Manchester.
The Healthier Together project selected a number of hospitals to provide emergency abdominal surgery in the region, which would save hundreds of lives each year.
Bosses at Wythenshawe challenged the decision but the High Court dismissed their claims.
Today High Court Judge the Hon Mr Justice Ian Dove ruled there were no grounds to challenge the decisions of the Healthier Together programme and has concluded that each of the claimant’s grounds must be dismissed.
Dr Chris Brookes, Executive Medical Director of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, said: “There are significant and unacceptable differences in the quality of care between the hospitals in Greater Manchester for patients undergoing emergency and high risk abdominal surgery.
“It is fundamentally unacceptable that people in different parts of the region should have better or worse chances of a good outcome after falling ill. The aim of the Healthier Together programme has always been to remove these differences and improve outcomes for patients.
“This judgement upholds our decision and means we can set about implementing changes which will ensure better, more equitable and more effective care for everyone in Greater Manchester.”
The judge acknowledges in his ruling that the proceedings have been brought before the court and defended out of a passionate concern, on all sides, for the health and wellbeing of all those who depend on healthcare provisions in Greater Manchester, whether or not they reside there. Healthier Together will continue to work with colleagues across Greater Manchester to ensure improvements in quality and safety and strengthening of services for the benefit of all patients.
In a statement the 'Keep Wythenshawe Special' Campaign said:
We are grateful to the Judge for considering our case and listening to our concerns, but we are naturally disappointed by his ruling as we sincerely believe in the campaign we have mounted over the last few months to Keep Wythenshawe Special. We want to reiterate that patient safety and benefit for the people who need our hospital was our ONLY reason for mounting this campaign, which we self-funded and has not, as some would have people believe, been paid for out of NHS money. We remain anxious that Wythenshawe Hospital will not remain a centre of excellence and a specialist site for general surgery. This is important because our hospital has many specialist regional services that require general surgeons on site who are used to looking after patients who come to us, not just from South Manchester but from all over Greater Manchester and the wider region. We need a little time to consider what our next move will be, but we do plan to make an announcement in due course. Meanwhile, we want to thank our three local MPs, Mike Kane, Graham Brady and Kate Green; our hospital colleagues; the community of Wythenshawe and countless individuals from across Greater Manchester who have supported us.