DR CATHERINE Beanland, the Ludlow GP who fears that Ludlow Hospital is being prepared for closure, has launched a new on-line petition.
With the closure of one of the hospital’s wards last Friday she is now backing a call for Ludlow to be made into one of the new urgent care centres.
“I hoped we would be able to stop the ward closures. Clearly that is not possible but I have seen hope,” she said.
Dr Beanland said that she was now launching a new petition to make Ludlow Hospital a new urgent care centre that will enhance the services it offers.
The petition appeals to the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group to select the hospital as one of the Shropshire urgent care centres as part of the Future Fit programme.
The petition can be found at www.change.org by searching for ‘Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group’.
An urgent care centre provides services similar to those offered at a walk-in centre. Services are GP-led, compared to minor injuries units that are nurse-led.
The town’s MP Philip Dunne has been campaigning for an urgent care centre to be established at the hospital.
“I am in the midst of fighting to secure an upgrade of the minor injuries unit at Ludlow Hospital to an urgent care centre as part of the Future Fit exercise for the county’s emergency care provision,” said Mr Dunne.
The MP had called for the closure of Stretton Ward to be put on ice.
“I was as surprised as any to learn of the trust’s decision to consolidate in-patient wards in Ludlow and to do so without wider consultation,” said Mr Dunne.