I have been campaigning for better use of the facilities at Redcar's Primary Care Hospital on West Dyke Road. This state of the art hospital was opened at the end of 2009, with the aim of giving local people the opportunity to have minor surgical procedures nearer their homes. However a year later the hospital continues to operate way below capacity. Having visited the site a number of times I have found that operating theatres sit empty, an impressive endoscopy unit is unused and the excellent hydrotherapy pool is barely utilised.
This hospital is a great addition to our community, providing local residents with much needed health facilities right on their doorstep. However, much of its use is wasted. I am keeping up the pressure on this matter as we cannot have facilities in our region and not be making the most of them.
In February the Evening Gazette reported that some of the services offered by the hospital would not become available until next year.
I am now calling on Redcar and Cleveland Primary Care Trust and Health Secretary Andrew Lansley MP to urgently seek a solution to this problem and help Redcar Primary Care Hospital to reach its potential, so that the local community can benefit fully from the facilities on their doorstep.
Please add your voice to the campaign by signing the petition below.
"We, the undersigned, call upon Redcar and Cleveland Primary Care Trust to fully utilise the state of the art facilities at Redcar Primary Care Hospital including: the empty operating theatres, an unused endoscopy unit, and a barely used hydrotherapy pool."
Even if you've already signed this petition, you can use the printable petition sheet to collect more signatures from your friends and neighbours.
You could go door to door on your street or pass the sheet around at a local event. Good places to leave a few copies include shops, pubs, libraries, and post offices - but don't forget to collect them and send them back to us.
When complete, please return (as soon as possible) to: Ian Swales, 12 Redcar Station Business Centre, Redcar, Yorkshire TS10 1RD.
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