A pro-active cross-party meeting held in Congleton Town Hall has united the resolve of the main political parties in Congleton to work together to campaign for enhanced health services at the Congleton War Memorial site.
Following two public meetings of support for retention and expansion of services at Congleton War Memorial Hospital, held in October and November 2018, the political parties agreed to a meeting with the Mayor of Congleton Cllr Suzie Akers- Smith to discuss a way forward.
In addition to the Mayor, the meeting was attended by Town Burgess Denis Murphy representing the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Paul Bates representing the Conservatives and Richard Walton, from the Congleton Town Labour party. All were united in their resolve to see services enhanced at The Congleton War Memorial site, on Canal Road.
All agreed that empty buildings on the hospital site need to be brought back into use to ensure the health of the site and its continued use. Attention should also be paid to recruitment of staff at Macclesfield Hospital, as currently staff from the Congleton’s War Memorial Hospital are used to cover shortages at Macclesfield, so impacting on local services. The group was also opposed to the weekend closures of the Minor Injuries Unit and the lack of clarity of the future of this important service for Congleton.
The cross-party group agreed to invite the Chief Executive of the East Cheshire National Health Trust John Wilbraham and the Chair of the Health Trust Lynn McGill to a meeting to discuss options and ideas for the site.
The group will also be writing to Fiona Bruce MP and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP with some suggested solutions to the issue.
Congleton is an expanding service centre. There are plans to build 4,000 new homes and a potential increase of 10,000 residents in the immediate area around the town. This rapid growth in population will put pressure on an already stressed health system. To secure services for the present and the future, the group believes it is essential to maintain, invest and enhance the Congleton War Memorial site and its facilities.
Once the group has received dates for meetings and correspondence from the NHS Trust senior management these will be released via the press. Anyone that wishes to be kept informed directly via email or who wishes to submit comments to the group can give email info@congletontowncouncil.co.uk
