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Wantage and Grove Campaign Group (WaGCG)
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Column 14th February 2018

Wantage hospital – plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

Over 18 months ago I listed some facts about Wantage Community Hospital and it appears that not much has changed since.

Fact: The Wantage Community Hospital closed to in-patients by Oxford NHS Health Trust in July 2016 over fears of Legionella bacteria in the water system.

Fact: Over 10,000 people signed a petition to keep our Community Hospital open.

Fact: Over 400 people marched through Wantage Town Centre to demonstrate their support for keeping the hospital open.

Fact: Although bacteria was present in the water system in 2015 and again in 2017, action was taken and there was no risk to patients.

Fact: The Trust managed to eradicate the bacteria on both occasions without moving the patients.

Fact: The Trust have stated that Maternity Services will remain at the hospital.

Fact: Although the Trust stated that they would keep Physiotherapy services at the Hospital open, this hasn’t happened.

Fact: Because of lack of maintenance in the hospital over the years, there is a large amount of remedial work that needs to be done to the building and it would be easier and cheaper to do this at the same time as replacing the water pipes.

Fact: There was supposed to be a NHS Public Consultation in autumn 2016 in which the future of the hospital would be decided – this consultation has still not taken place and no date has yet been set.

Fact: No remedial works on Wantage Community Hospital will take place until the new plans for NHS services confirm that the hospital is part of the future (if it is). So the hospital will remain empty.

Fact: the Trust told us that the £300,000 that they believe the renovations will cost has been put aside.

Fact: The Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group is contracting with care homes to take patients from hospitals but will only pay for this care for 12 weeks. After that individuals or Social Services will have to pay.

Fact: Care homes do not provide rehabilitation services.

We want our hospital to reopen with Maternity, Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy and Respite care being available to the residents of Wantage, Grove and the surrounding area.

We don’t want to have to travel to Abingdon, Witney or Wallingford for this care.

To help the Save Wantage Hospital Group decide what action to take next, please come to the meeting being held at the October Club (behind Wantage Parish Church) on Thursday February 22nd at 7.30pm.


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