Flint Hospital - Antoinette gets Jonathan Morgan shadow welsh Health Minister to Flint

The battle for Flint hospital continued on Friday with Antoinette Sandbach, Delyn conservative Welsh Assembly candidate bringing the Shadow Conservative Health spokesman AM Jonathan Morgan to Flint Cottage Hospital to meet staff, patients and three representatives from the North East Wales Health Trust.

Jonathan Morgan AM was told by Antoinette Sandbach of the valiant battle by Flintshire residents to save the beds at the Cottage hospital and at her request came from Cardiff to Flint to see for himself why thousands of supporters do not want to see Labour Welsh Assembly policies close the hospital. Jonathan praised the nursing staff for their dedication and high levels of care provided to patients stating “the NHS would not survive without nurses like those at Flint Cottage hospital”.

Together with Andy Scotsman and two other North East Wales Health Trust representatives active discussions took place at the hospital. Antoinette said “The hospital facilities need to be upgraded to continue to provide a high quality service to patients and the surrounding community, local people need and want a solution which sees beds retained at the hospital.” Representatives from the North East Wales Health Trust confirmed that the County Council had turned down the option of retaining 10 beds, despite the likelihood of the elderly population of Flintshire increasing by 13% over the next 10 to 15 years. Jonathan Morgan listened to the concerns of a patient at the hospital Mr Burke an 82 year old Flintshire resident who told them that he had first been in the hospital in 1928. He had served in the Navy and had then returned home living in Flintshire for many years. He pleaded “Do not let them close our hospital”. Jonathan Morgan AM said “if devolution means anything it means allowing local people to make local decisions about the healthcare services they need, yet Labours Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff and Dr Brian Gibbons are presiding over hospital closures all over Wales.”