Peaceful protest calls on trust to Save The Alex

Buy photos » Protestors held Save The Alex placards and a banner saying 'Public health not private wealth'. Picture by Connie Osborne.

AN EXPECTANT mother set to give birth at the Alex has labelled plans to potentially axe services at the hospital 'absolutely crazy'.

Helen Crook was one of around 200 people who staged a rally outside Redditch Town Hall on Monday (July 2) ahead of a meeting held by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Alcester resident is receiving treatment at the Alexandra Hospital during her second pregnancy, having given birth to her son there two years ago.

She said: "There is a list of proposals to save money and no costings so how are the public able to make any sort of judgement? Do they seriously think it's safe with an ageing population to expect people to travel 40 miles to Worcester which is a hospital already full to capacity.

"The A and E at the Alex struggles as it's that busy so seriously reducing the facilities is dangerous at best.

"I don't see how the county can only have one hospital and one lot of medical services with an increasingly ageing and unfit population. It doesn't seem right and it doesn't seem fair.

"It is such an important resource for the local area and it seems mad to close it when there are other ways of finding money."

Studley resident Wayne Bates also turned out to support keeping services in Redditch, after his daughter's life was saved by maternity staff at the Alex nearly four years ago.

"My daughter was born by emergency Caesarean section there, she wouldn't have made it if we'd had to go to Worcester."

A Lodge Park couple whose children work at the hospital raised concerns about how the Worcestershire Royal would manage with so many people using it.

"How will people cope if they have to use public transport? People in Studley would have to go to Warwick when they live two miles from a hospital they won't be able to use."

Save The Alex campaign organiser Neal Stote called on the trust to come outside and talk to the residents.

"There are four options, the other two have been ruled out because of potential funding problems. These four options leave Worcestershire with one A and E. We have been told it could be Redditch and it might be Kidderminster. Come on, come out today, borrow the microphone and say if it happens there will be one A and E at Worcestershire Royal."

"The trust are taking the easy option. They need to go page by page through every penny they have and look at other ways of doing this.

"Rule out the removal of A and E and maternity and then we can have a say about other services."

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