Vascular transfer sounds sensible (From Warrington Guardian)

Vascular transfer sounds sensible

12:37pm Thursday 9th August 2012 in Letters

POLITICS and the management of health services are difficult bedfellows, ‘Bid to transfer complex vascular surgeries is referred to health chief’, Guardian, July 26. Politicians go for the populist view which can lead to ‘save our services’ campaigns regardless of the consequences.

If I needed complex vascular surgery, I would rather travel to a centre run by specialists in Chester than depend on a general surgeon in Warrington. Similarly for cancer treatments where specialist centres have been clearly shown to provide the best results for patients. We do not have either the resources or the specialist doctors to provide all complex procedures at every hospital. The proposals for re-organisation therefore sound eminently sensible.

DAVID BARLOW

Stockton Heath