THERE were angry scenes at Redditch town hall yesterday (Thursday, July 7) as Save the Alex campaigners clashed with local doctors over the future of the Woodrow Drive hospital.
Concerned residents packed out the meeting of the governing body of Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group and proceeded to fire questions at the doctors in the wake of Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust’s decision to axe overnight care for children at the Alex.
Mums-to-be, pensioners and parents of profoundly disabled children all spoke up and over what the future holds for the Alex, a hospital with a catchment area of some 200,000 people.
Such were the salvos directed at them the doctors effectively abandoned the meeting’s agenda to address the issues of those services which have been moved, like maternity, gynaeocology and emergency surgery, as well as the huge problem of transport to and from Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
One resident summoned up the mood of the crowd when he told them: “The public simply do not trust you. We don’t feel you have our best interests at heart.”
