I’m holding a public meeting with health bosses and residents to discuss the future of Longridge Community Hospital.
The meeting, on Thursday, May 7 with the Help Save Longridge Community Hospital campaign group, will enable residents to hear from ICB bosses about the temporary relocation of the inpatient ward and the long-term future of the hospital.
I’ve been meeting regularly with Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board since inpatient services closed and I know there are frustrations in the community. There’s anger about the lack of communication since inpatient services temporarily closed, with the lack of transparency fuelling concerns over what level of service provision people can expect in the future.
Petition
For that reason, I’ve also organised a petition calling for services to be protected for the community.
I’m hoping local people, who feel left in the dark, will receive the answers they’ve been looking for since the closure was announced in November.
I believe a public meeting is essential to bring both sides together to enable residents to ask questions about the future of the community hospital. The campaign group has already held a peaceful protest with another planned for next month.
Hopefully we can better understand how the land lies and the steps needed to restore some services in Longridge, however that may look.
Timeline
My petition, which you can sign by clicking the link, calls on the ICB to commit to a full reopening of the hospital to provide health services to benefit the community.
It also asks that fire safety concerns are addressed promptly and a timeline provided to reassure residents when to expect a conclusion to their concerns.
Residents can register to attend the meeting at Longridge Civic Hall by visiting the sign-up form.
