Former Redditch consultant slams ‘asset strip’ at Alex hospital - The Redditch Standard

Former Redditch consultant slams ‘asset strip’ at Alex hospital

Redditch Editorial 30th Sep, 2016 Updated: 18th Oct, 2016   0

THE health trust was accused of ‘systematically asset stripping’ the Alexandra Hospital at the public meeting on Wednesday evening.

The claim came from Dr Santi Vathenen, a consultant physician at the Alex for 22 years who resigned from the trust back in June.

He warned of the danger of the Alex becoming a ‘run down part time hospital’ with some services missing: “I can guarantee that there will be serious incidents at the Alex because the specialities are not available,” he said, to wide applause.

Referring to the constant pressure for beds at Worcestershire Royal Hospital he further warned that when someone needed to be transferred there wouldn’t be a bed available for them.




“If you downgrade services you will not get the quality of people to work there – who wants to go into a hospital which does not have the full support of all the specialities?” he asked.

Referring to the shortage of doctors and nurses, a national problem, he said: “If you want to attract staff to work you do not do that by closing down the services and facilities.


“I would like to congratulate the trust on destroying a good hospital when it could have been a great hospital.”

He further accused consultants at Worcester of being available for work in the private sector while on call for the NHS and to loud cheers he said: “The only option is either the hospital is taken out of Worcestershire, which has not done it any service, or you work with another trust.”

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