Trowbridge Hospital

First, I am surprised the public representatives of West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust (WWPCT) who have responsibility for community hospitals and most other health services in the district have not contacted R D Feltham to explain their dire financial circumstances.

For as much as I personally would support the construction of a new hospital for Trowbridge indeed, a state-of-the-art one that served all west Wiltshire there are stark economic and political realities that need to be confronted.

For a start, WWPCT, along with the other two Primary Care Trusts in the county, has a funding deficit of millions of pounds. Central Government demands this be paid off.

The local health picture is even bleaker both RUH in Bath and the BRI in Bristol have run up multi-million pounds of deficit. Together the figure might be over £100m.

As these acute hospitals serve the west Wiltshire community, we will be expected to play our part in paying off these deficits. This must meant cuts in service, rather than any new hospital for Trowbridge. So regretfully, R D Feltham, your aspirations are unlikely to be realised.

As a county councillor I have long recognised the enormity of the issue. In fact, last year, the county wrote to Alan Milburn, Secretary of State for Health, arguing that these deficits should be frozen in the interests of providing better health care throughout the county. Four months later back came a dogmatic reply saying these deficits must all be paid off by improved management I guess that means cuts otherwise it would send out totally the wrong message.

Unavoidably health provision is a matter of political will as much as economic dogma. As a member of the County Council Scrutiny Management Committee I will constantly press for better health provision locally. I just wish PCT representatives would be more open in discussing the very real economic and political issues involved.

Jeff Osborn,

County cllr,

Trowbridge West.