Campaign launched to keep breast surgery in Wolverhampton

Members of a support group based at New Cross said they are horrified that surgery will be moved despite patients getting their initial treatment in Wolverhampton.

The chair of the campaign group, which has already attracted 600 signatures to a petition, hit out at health chiefs for a 'dreadful' consultation process and said they felt their opinions were irrelevant as the plans were going ahead anyway. She also questioned how patients from Wolverhampton would be able to get to Cannock for 7am in time for day surgery.

The changes are due to come into force later this year. Shuttle buses will ferry patients from New Cross to Cannock in a move designed to free up space at the Wednesfield-based hospital to cope with its increasing workload. Patients from Staffordshire have besieged the hospital due to the dissolution of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust leading to services being moved elsewhere.

See also: New ward plan for Wolverhampton's New Cross.

Jean Hancox is chair of the Breast Cancer Action and Support Group, based at New Cross' Deanesly Centre.

The 69-year-old, from Tettenhall, said the consultation had been 'rushed and not well publicised' and added: "The members are horrified. "Thirty per cent of women who get breast cancer are oevr the age of 75 - if they've got no one to take them to Cannock from Wolverhampton, to get to Cannock for 7am would be very difficult.

"We're not assured this would be better at Cannock and no groups have been consulted about this. The impression is that the plans are being pushed through and are already done and dusted."

All members of the group are breast cancer survivors.

The consultation was launched on July 18 and has included three public meetings, attended by more than 100 people in total, in Wolverhampton.

It runs until October 17 with a final meeting being held at Molineux on October 8.

See also: Wolverhampton New Cross A&E under siege as numbers soar.

Maxine Espley, director of planning and contracting at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, defended the consultation process.

She said: "We are pleased with the number of responses received to date as over 1,300 hits have been recorded on the consultation website and over 300 responses to the consultation questions have been received to date.

"During the public events we have answered a number of questions including the issue of transport.

"We have confirmed our plans to work with a bus company to provide a shuttle bus to the Cannock site from a number of stops in Wolverhampton (including the bus station and New Cross).

"This will be free for patients travelling between New Cross and Cannock and further details will be made available once these are finalised."

Up to 30,000 patients will descend on Cannock every year for non-emergency procedures and surgery in radical proposals that will see health chiefs from Wolverhampton run the hospital in Cannock, which until now has been virtually empty.