Answers Needed Over the Shocking Loss of Children's Services at Bedford Hospital

Families across Bedford Borough are in shock this week following the announcement from Bedford Hospital of the removal of Children's A&E and overnight care from 1st August. This follows the withdrawal of junior doctors from the paediatrics department due to concerns over their supervision by senior consultants. It is appalling that this has been allowed to happen. The stark fact is that due to this failure of management by the hospital we are facing a period as a community in which parents cannot take an injured or seriously ill child to Bedford Hospital A&E.

This is deeply distressing for all local families, while the removal of overnight care will put a tremendous strain on families when they are obviously experiencing the highest levels of anxiety. There must be full accountability over how this has been allowed to happen. There must also, immediately, be a concerted effort by the hospital and all partners to get these services back to Bedford as soon as possible.

Tomorrow sees the emergency meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board which I called last week in response to news that the junior doctors were being removed. Local families need and want urgent answers on the below issues, which we will be seeking them on their behalf:

1 What exactly do these changes mean for local families now? The hospital allowed uncertainty and anxiety to grow before it finally revealed these plans. Now it has confirmed the removal of essential services, worried parents are inevitably asking numerous questions which need answering now, for example on capacity of other hospitals and of ambulance services?

2 What are the details of the plan for bringing these essential services back to BedfordHospital as soon as possible? In particular, what are the timescales within which residents can expect to have these services back at our local hospital?

3 How was the situation over supervision allowed to develop to the point that the General Medical Council felt there was no option but to take the rare and drastic action of withdrawing junior doctors altogether from the Bedford Hospital Paediatric department? This will require a thorough, open inquiry. There must be no excuses, and no hiding places. We need answers, and we need accountability, in order that these services come back to Bedford as soon as possible and that this can never happen again.