Thame Hospital Fears

LOCAL doctors fear that Thame could lose its community hospital if proposed county boundaries to health care management are implemented.
Lead by Dr Ken Birch at the Health Centre in East Street, Thame, a petition and public meeting have been set up and the public are being urged to sign the petition which calls for the hospital to remain in the cross-boundary, Vale of Aylesbury Primary Care Trust.
The Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority is looking at merging primary care trusts to bring them in to line with local government boundaries.

Sarah Taylor, chairman of Thame Hospital League of Friends, is reported to have said: “This move causes us great concern.
“It is vital that we demonstrate just how strongly people on both sides of the boundary feel about their hospital.”

GP, Dr Ken Burch has said that in his view, the boundary issue would seriously undermine “the highly successful cross-boundary co-operation between the two Thame practices and three others in Haddenham, Princes Risborough and Chinnor.”
He fears that Thame could go the same way as Watlington and Burford community hospitals, which were both closed by The Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust, and pointed out that both Bicester and Henley’s hospitals are currently under threat too.
The public meeting will be at Thame town hall at 6.30pm on Monday, March 6.

To read The Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority’s reasoning behind the proposed changes, visit: Link