Rugby MP urges residents to use NHS survey as a chance to voice their views on more services at St Cross

Rugby MP Mark Pawsey is urging residents to take part University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire’ NHS Trust’s Organisational Strategy to ensure Rugby’s needs are represented as the trust plans the future of local healthcare for the next decade.

Mr Pawsey has responded directly to chief executive officer of UHCW, Professor Andy Hardy, to set out his wishes to see better integrated services offered at the Hospital of St Cross, including enhanced Accident and Emergency provision.

Mr Pawsey has previously spoken about the need for Rugby’s local health services to expand in line with the growth of the town and recently ran his own survey on patient experiences at the Hospital of St Cross and University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW).

The research shows that 83 per cent of the Rugby constituency is more than a 15-minute drive from the UHCW Accident and Emergency department, while more than 90 per cent of the respondents to his survey said that living within a 15-minute drive of an A&E department was extremely important to them.

Mr Pawsey has also highlighted that the preference of Rugby residents is to receive non-emergency treatment locally wherever possible, and noted that this is particularly important for those without a car who rely on public transport.

The draft strategy which University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust are consulting on sets out the trust’s proposals for the next decade of local healthcare, including providing more acute and specialised services in the region.

Mr Pawsey said he has welcomed the vision of local integrated care in the draft strategy and the intention to maintain and enhance the reputation UHCW has as a regional centre of excellence which allows clinical staff to improve and develop their skills.

The draft strategy and the survey can be found online at: www.uhcw.nhs.uk/our-organisation/organisational-strategyHe said: “This draft strategy builds on the vital work done by local healthcare professionals over the past two years, and I want to thank all of them for the work they have done in the very difficult circumstances arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

"What we need to do as we look to the future is ensure that more services are available locally for Rugby constituents and enhance the existing provisions to meet the challenges of a growing, and aging, population.

"I would therefore encourage local residents to respond to the strategy so that their views can be considered by the trust.

“I am very pleased to see that Professor Hardy and his team have identified a role for the Hospital of St Cross in proactively improving population health.

"I hope that they will continue to provide new services for local residents, as we have seen with the recent opening of new operating theatres and a new haematology unit.

"I will of course continue to press both University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and my colleagues in government to invest in Rugby’s local Hospital of St Cross as part of this important organisational strategy.”