Stroke patients could face 'four-hour round trip' UK

 Which means YOU have to demand a plan B; 100% recovery protocols regardless of time since stroke. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY; your government and stroke medical 'professionals' will not do one damn thing. So it is all up to you to get plan B accomplished!

Stroke patients could face 'four-hour round trip'

An MP said patients in his constituency could face "major difficulties" if proposed changes to stroke care services go ahead.

Sir John Whittingdale, the MP for Maldon, said proposals to close St Peter's Hospital in the town and move beds to Brentwood could leave his constituents facing long journeys to access rehabilitation.

The plans could also leave stroke survivors in south Essex needing to travel to Brentwood, which the patient group Healthwatch Southend said would be a four-hour round trip on public transport.

Dr Matt Sweeting, executive medical director of NHS Mid and South Essex, said he and his team were reviewing all the feedback received during a recent public consultation.

The two options offered during the consultation included running a 50-bed stroke rehabilitation unit in Brentwood which would serve the whole of mid and south Essex.

The second involved a smaller ward in Brentwood alongside a centre in Rochford.

Kate Bradbrook/BBC

Sir John Whittingdale said he planned to meet a government minister to discuss the proposed closure of St Peter's Hospital

Sir John said people living in villages like Southminster and Tillingham, who already drive about 30 minutes to Maldon, could be among the hardest hit.

"If people then have to travel to Brentwood instead, you're looking at double that amount of time and that's if people have cars, but a lot of people rely on public transport," he said.

Conservative MP Sir John previously debated the closure of St Peter's Hospital in Parliament and is due to meet local NHS leaders and the Department of Health and Social Care with Witham MP Dame Priti Patel.

Owen Richards, chief officer at Healthwatch Southend, said he was unable to support either of the proposed options.

"Getting to Brentwood from Southend is far from easy if you use public transport," he said.

"One of our volunteers tested the journey, which took two hours each way and could have cost up to £28."

Four out of five respondents rejected both options with objections including concerns about extra travel time and costs for patients, families, and carers.

There was marginally more support from Southend residents for the second option.

Dr Sweeting said: "While no decisions have been made at this stage, I want to reassure people that our priority is to ensure that any changes we consider are in the best interests of all patients."

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