EDITOR'S CHOICE KEEP THE 'COPTER IN WILTSHIRE! Commission says ambulance charities must be independent STARS LINE UP Marlborough Jazz Festival line-up revealed STADIUM GREEN LIGHT New Swindon speedway stadium moves ahead TOWN'S TICKET DEAL Fitton pins hopes on 6,000 season ticket sales VOTE Would you give money to the air ambulance if it was moved to Bristol? Yes No GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 Bath book fair this weekend 2 Swindon man in blunderbuss attack is jailed 3 Wiltshire guns raise £250,000 for charity 4 Marlborough Race For Life latest 5 Aldbourne couple's 65 reasons to celebrate 6 Oh dear, I dropped Trescothick 7 Olympic teams to use Barbury as warm-up 8 Lye to pen new Bluebirds deal 9 Wiltshire Gladiator struggles to see her TV debut 10 Swimming club's joy at national hat-trick Today | 7 Days 1 Calne council votes not to fly flag 2 ASDA appeal starts in Chippenham 3 Steam roller causing delays in Chippenham 4 Drivers come to a sticky end 5 Kennels hit back over dog breeding claim 6 Traffic chaos fear in Chippenham over tests move 7 Helicopter chases burglars 8 Cannabis factory found in Calne 9 Swindon worker defrauded Nationwide 10 Tycoon scales down holiday home plan

Comment

At a recent court hearing, a Judge said that, as I claimed the community was behind me in the case for Savernake Minor Injuries Unit, I should put my money where my mouth was. He gave me a Protected Costs Order of £20,000.

The response to the appeal has been positively electric. People all over East Wiltshire started organising groups or pledging individually. Hundreds got involved and pledges of anything between £1 and £1,000 have come in and I thank every single person.

At the AGM of Friends of Savernake last week, the body of the meeting - many of whom were supporters, not members, who had come to listen to Guy Opperman talking about the legal case, voted to top up the last bit, should I be unable to raise it. I can tell you now - it is unlikely it will be needed, such has been the support.

The PCT had at least one employee at that meeting scribbling notes. The Friends' good financial position and offer is now mentioned in an application to appeal against my £20,000 PCO. Maybe this PCT should carry a wealth warning for it would seem Wiltshire PCT could seriously damage your wealth.

This community has been fund raising, protecting and campaigning for Savernake Hospital non-stop since 1990. It seems ironic that the hospital was originally founded in 1866 following an injury sustained by a farm worker.

Patients from West Berkshire, who would actually have generated an income for WPCT under the national tariff arrangement, are also deprived of the facility.

The PCT appears to have ignored the reports, reviews and clinical reasoning of all previous documents and input over the past 15 years, including the input from the Strategic Health Authority, which supported a MIU. It also flies in the face of Government policy to provide urgent care locally in new generation community hospitals.

See you in court.

Val Compton, Kennet Place, Marlborough

3:11pm Thursday 8th May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment