Decision on Alex's future delayed until the summer

NO DECISION will made about the future of the Alexandra Hospital until at least next summer.

The Joint Services Review, which was set up in June to investigate how Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust could save £50million, met yesterday (Tuesday) to come to a decision about what services will and will not be provided at the Redditch site.

But a statement released by the group said the options need to be looked at in more detail before they could be released and formal consultation could take place.

It added the JSR had been looking at the clinical and financial sustainability of all options, with a second phase of engagement expected to begin in February will a full three-month consultation starting in the summer of 2013.

Eamonn Kelly, NHS Worcestershire chief executive, said: "We are very conscious that people in Worcestershire are looking to us to confirm the details of the proposals for change and we want to do this as soon as possible.

"It is really important however to have fully explored all of the options than to be constrained by an artificial timetable. That said we do aim to say much more in January 2013 about the detail of the options which we will take to the next stage of public engagement."

More details to follow, including public reaction from today's NHS Worcestershire board meeting.

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