A petition has been launched to save out-patient clinics at two hospitals which are under threat of closure unless a new provider can be found.
Doddington Hospital and Ely’s Princess of Wales Hospital face an uncertain future after commissioners said they no longer wished to provide the services.
A petition can be signed at the Oliver Cromwell Hotel in March and at the Friends of Doddington Hospital shop.
It is hoped the petition will gather community support to help keep local clinics open.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) say they have been trying to find alternative providers for clinics at the two hospitals together with the City Care Centre in Peterborough for over a year - without success.
Maureen Coker of Doddington Hospital Friends, said: “We want everybody in the area to know the importance of keeping local services. With clinics in the area it is easier to get to, free parking, takes less time for people, is more convenient, it would be a great shame to lose this service.”
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS) to give notice that they no longer wished to provide the services in May last year.
The trust told the CCG at that time they “considered that other providers could more appropriately provide out-patient services at the Cambridgeshire community hospitals in Wisbech, Ely and Doddington and dermatology clinics at the city care centre.”
Since then the CCG say they have been trying to identify alternative providers.
They say the Queen Elizabeth Hospital at King’s Lynn has agreed to run the endoscopy, bladder scanning and phlebotomy clinics at the North Cambs Hospital in Wisbech.
But Tracey Dowling, the CCG’s chief operating officer says: “Despite discussions with local providers in relation to services provided at the Princess of Wales and Doddington hospitals and the City Care Centre an alternative provider has not been yet identified, although discussions are still ongoing and we remain hopeful about a successful outcome.”
She added that the CCG “recognises how much these services are valued locally and will continue discussions with local providers. However, we need to make other arrangements quickly to ensure that patients will still receive good quality care, in good time.”
At the moment all medical cover is provided by consultants from local acute hospitals such as Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge, Hinchingbrooke at Huntingdon and Peterborough City.
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