31.08.18
Landmark ‘citizens jury’ chooses location of new £11m hospital in NHS first
A citizens’ jury has decided on the location of a £11m community hospital in Gloucestershire.
Some 18 jury members were selected to make the decision out of 218 people living in the Forest of Dean District at the end of July, where the new facility will replace the Dilke Memorial and Lydney and District Community healthcare units.
Yesterday NHS chiefs finalised the decision to build the new unit in Cinderford— with the boards of Gloucestershire Care Services and the local CCG deciding to accept the jury’s recommendation of the location.
A business case will now be created and a site chosen before the planning application is submitted.
Campaigners HOLD (Hands Off Lydney and Dilk) staged a silent protest in opposition to the plans, calling on health bosses to invest the £11m into two separate units in nearby Lydney and Cinderford. The proposals have been met with resistance from a resident consultation since January.
The use of a citizens’ jury is the first time a hospital site has been selected through this method. The jury had the choice to recommend the facility be built in Coleford, Cinderford, or Lydney.
A 12-week consultation on the facility in January 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 proposals.
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Image credit: Geograph