Grantham A&E 'downgrade': Urgent meeting called

Grantham's A&E department will be replaced by a 24-hour Urgent Treatment Centre

An urgent council meeting has been called to discuss plans to "downgrade" Grantham Hospital's A&E department.

NHS Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) intends to replace the department with a 24-hour Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC).

The plan is part of a shake-up of hospital services across the county and will offer better care and reduced waiting times for patients, it said.

However, campaigners insist the area needs a full A&E department.

The new centre, which is expected to be fully operational within 18 months, would have 70 fewer acute care beds and no acute stroke care, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Charmaine Morgan, who has called the meeting, said she believed the plan - approved by the CCG's board after a 12-week public consultation - had "not been made on a sound basis".

The CCG has estimated that "around two patients a day" would not be able to have their needs met by the UTC and would be taken to other hospitals for treatment.

Elderly 'most affected'

Ms Morgan said: "Depending on where you live, the journey could be 45 minutes, up to an hour and 20 minutes, and these will be the most sick people.

"We will lose acute beds, consultants and equipment, and elderly residents are likely to be the ones who are most affected.

"The CCG is trying to treat us like a small catchment area, but the hospital covers thousands of people across Grantham and parts of Sleaford, Newark and Melton Mowbray."

Ms Morgan said she had also written to Grantham MP Gareth Davies asking what could be done to prevent what she called "irreversible damage" to the hospital's services.

Although the CCG has avoided calling the change a downgrade, it is described that way in the meeting agenda.

The extraordinary meeting of the full South Kesteven District Council will take place on 14 June.