Why such a fuss about centre of excellence?

NO ONE complains when they're sent with heart failure to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

No one complains when the consultant says you've got a brain tumour and you're off to Walton.

And no one bats an eyelid if their sick child is referred to Alder Hey.

So why, when the NHS wants to set up a similar centre of excellence but for vascular surgery at the Countess of Chester Hospital, is there such tremendous fuss? (Wirral Globe, August 8).

As I write, my family are experiencing outstanding care at Arrowe Park Hospital of the type that is rightly delivered as close to home as possible.

However, we can't expect the best of everything the NHS does to be delivered on our doorstep.

With the passing years, medicine gets ever more specialised and the staff these specialisms need get scarcer and more expensive to train.

That is why I would urge those objecting to setting up a vascular surgery centre of excellence at Chester to think again. After all, if you want the best care , why would you possibly choose anywhere else?

T Ellis, Heswall.

Comments(1)

spamfiend says...
2:27pm Sat 18 Aug 12

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about the different areas that specialise in care, and also applaud their high quality services I think the crux of this issue is the move is possibly unwarranted, and that the general consensus is on creating the centre of excellence at Arrowe Park as most of the specialists are based there and this is a move over money and not against the quality of service.

The decision to propose the transfer was taken in secret – without involving those clinicians who actually perform the work and at the end of the day they are the ones who will be affected first of all and it will be more costly to base vascular services at the Countess of Chester Hospital because a new building will be needed as they currently have nowhere to perform this service.

No matter what happens, we the local people will have no say in the matter and I think that is what has aggrieved people the most.

click2find

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