Wigan NHS Kick out OAP's

Cllr Gareth Fairhurst has learnt that Wigan NHS Foundation trust have a policy of kicking out patients out of Hospital that would have normally been admitted to a Ward. Elderly Patients are being targeted each day to free up more beds as the Wigan NHS Foundation Trust has a shortage. Since Whelley Hospital closed last year Wigan has lost bed space and each day at approx noon the managers meet to make sure the staff have freed up enough beds. It is just like a sales meeting where by the sales manager would meet to make sure the sales force know what targets they need to achieve that day.

The patients would normally been admitted and some would have gone to Whelley Hospital but now that has closed there is no where for them to go and the Trust needs the beds. It is now normal that patients are freed one day and admitted a day or two later. The trust does not mind this as the patient is treated as a new patient with a new illness, therefore attracting more money for the trust. It seems to Cllr Gareth Fairhurst that all Wigan NHS Foundation Trust is bothered about is money and the well being of the patients is secondary, at best.



Cllr Gareth Fairhurst said,

" When Labour announced to close Whelley Hospital I stated in the Council
Chamber that all this was for was for money and not the patients and it
seems
that my nightmares have come true. When will Labour learn that they
should be
looking after patients and people. It is time Labour started to do
this! Labour does not care for the residents of Wigan just themselves."