31.07.18
Landmark citizens’ jury to vote on future of hospital location
The future of the location of a £11m Gloucestershire hospital will be voted on by a ‘citizens’ jury’ for the first ever time.
Locals will rule on whether Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust will build a new facility in Coleford, Cinderford, or Lydney.
There have been 18 jury members selected to make the decision out of 218 people living within the Forest of Dean District. The facility will replace the Dilke Memorial and Lydney and District Community healthcare unit.
Today, the case will be made for Lydney with speakers including John Thurston from Friends of Lydney Hospital, Brian Pearman from Lydney Town Council, and others.
The case for Coleford will be made by Nick Penny and Marilyn Cox from Coleford Town Council; the argument for Cinderford will also be made by Chris Witham from Cinderford Town Council today.
Surrounding issues including patient population data, transport analysis, and public engagement on the choice of the location will also be taken into effect in the hearing.
Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust’s plans to shut down two of its community hospitals and replace them with the £11m single facility was met with resistance from local residents in January. A 12-week consultation on the facility found that only 43% of residents supported the plans, whilst 46% rejected them — yet Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust voted in January to go ahead with the plans.
Dr Malcolm Oswald, director of Citizens Juries Community Interest Company, told the BBC it was "very much in the interests" of the trust and NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) "to hear what local people want."
"From having worked with the two bodies for several months I have no sense at all that any of them have a view on where it should go. They want to hear the evidence of the jury,” he said.
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Image credit: Geography