'We warned this would happen,' says pensioner over bed crisis at GWH

Margaret Griffiths, who lives in Rodbourne Cheney, dug out her letter written to the editor on September 1, 1999 after reading a story in the newspaper last week about a patient who was made to wait in casualty for 15 hours for a bed.

The 90-year-old said she was shocked to hear about their treatment and back in 1999 she, along with other residents, pleaded with hospital bosses to not close the district hospitals such as Princess Margaret and Stratton over concerns the GWH wouldn’t cope.

“The letter I wrote back then is still so relevant today and it makes me so cross that it is still a problem in this town,” she said.

“For some reason I always kept the letter because it was a subject that divided a lot of people back then and clearly it is still doing that today.

“Ever since the hospital has been built it hasn’t been big enough and we all told the developers it wouldn’t be big enough but no one listened.

“Back then I lived in Rodbourne Cheney and the issue came up at the resident’s association meeting. There were people there from the council and hospital development to talk to use about the hospital and after they yapped on there was a question and answer session. I said there and then it wouldn’t be big enough from the measurements they gave us.

“It just makes no sense that they are continuing to build new houses in and around the town when they don’t have the hospital to support it.”

Before the GWH was built the town had a number of district hospitals including the RAF General Hospital at Wroughton and the Princess Margaret Hospital which closed its doors in 2002.

At the time, residents were up in arms over promises about the GWH being bigger and better than them – so much so that protesters marched Swindon’s streets urging health officials to reconsider their decision.

Margaret, who was one of the protesters at the time, said much of the arguments surrounding overcrowding back then are still so relevant today and hopes that GWH bosses look to address the issue before the situation goes beyond repair.

“The Princess Margaret was overstretched too but back then we tried and tried to convince them to keep one other open so that it wouldn’t put too much pressure on the new hospital,” she added.

“Even if they kept one other open it would have helped so much and we wouldn’t be in the situation we are now.

“In my letter to the paper, I said the staff were being overworked and it is not their fault that there is overcrowding and not enough space. They shouldn’t be blamed for anything.

“I just feel that in another 17 years’ time it will be the same story. The hospital will still be overcrowded with little space until it is expanded for the better to serve the needs of the town.”

Since coming under fire by the town’s residents and the Nuffield Trust who recently published a report that warned GWH’s occupancy rates, which was 100 per cent in one day in January, could increase the chance of infection because staff had less time to clean beds.

The GWH has denied the hospital has a bed crisis although acknowledges more needs to be done.

A spokesman said: “It’s no secret we are extremely busy. We provide healthcare to a rapidly growing and ageing population.

“This is our big challenge. At the moment we’re not in a position to add more beds, but massive growth and new build housing in places like the New Eastern Villages will mean demand for our services will only continue to grow over the next 5-10 years and we are actively pushing for additional funds from housing developers so that we can accommodate this growth – something we are working together with the Swindon Borough Council on. This growth will not only impact on the hospital but all health services including GPs as well as social care.

“The pressures in the Emergency Department and the demand for beds should not be seen in isolation, it is a symptom of the increasing pressures facing the health and social care system across the town.”