Penzance Chamber of Commerce

How to stop the further reduction of services at West Cornwall Hospital

At the last Chamber meeting, members received a presentation from Sheena Cox, Joe McKenna and Chris Goninan of the Campaign Team opposing further reductions in services at West Cornwall Hospital.

A number of interesting facts were presented by the team that were obtained through a considerable amount of research. Some of the most startling facts substantiated the belief of the majority of the community that Treliske Hospital cannot currently cope with the number of people being seen by their Accident and Emergency Department; for example 22% of admissions wait for over four hours in A & E before being transferred to wards.

In addition, Treliske already has the fourth highest Accident and Emergency admission rate in the whole of the UK. Ambulances wait for an average of around 52 minutes, before being able to discharge their patients into A & E and it is not unusual for up to 14 ambulances to be waiting outside A & E with patients on-board! Due to the apparent centralisation of facilities at Treliske, ambulances already have the second worst response times in the whole of the UK, second only to London; this makes us the worst served rural community in the country.

THIS SITUATION WILL ONLY GET WORSE IF SERVICES ARE REDUCED AT WEST CORNWALL HOSPITAL - PEOPLE WILL DIE NEEDLESSLY.

The West Country Ambulance Trust has already clearly stated that they favour a fully staffed 24-hour A & E Department at West Cornwall; they are the experts - why are they not being listened to?

Other hospitals, such as West Cornwall, that serve a similar sized community of around 120,000 have a total number of beds in the region of 300-450 in addition to a fully staffed 24-hour Accident and Emergency Department. West Cornwall only has 81 and one of the targets of the Primary Care Trust is to reduce the number of beds even further and get rid of the A&E Department.

The Primary Care Trust has already announced that they cannot sustain a High Dependency Unit at West Cornwall Hospital due to a shortage of Consultant Anaesthetists - this is surprising as Devon have 20 such doctors covering Plymouth AND Exeter, the Trust has 35 yet cannot manage!

In summary, it is quite clear that Cornwall must have at least two fully staffed and operational General Hospitals, one at Treliske and one at West Cornwall, to include 24-hour Accident and Emergency cover as well as an HDU, surgical and medical beds, and a return of the Children's Ward.

Around 33% of the local population in West Cornwall do not have their own transport and illness rates are amongst the highest in the Country due to the poverty, social exclusion and depravation faced by many.

The dereliction of duty on the part of Health Managers must be addressed; we deserve and demand better treatment.

The current consultation period ends on the 19th July. The only way to stop the further reduction of services proceeding at West Cornwall Hospital is to write to:-

They are the only people with the statutory power to call in the report and commission an INDEPENDENT review.

EVERYONE IN WEST CORNWALL IS URGED TO TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE SUCH A LETER, IN ADDTION WEAR A YELLOW RIBBON TO INDICATE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE CAMPAIGN.

The Primary Care Trust have spoken to our Chairman and have stated that they are willing to meet Penzance Chamber of Commerce at our meeting on Tuesday 2nd July; confirmation of this meeting is awaited and it is hoped that this article will not put them off.

Penzance OnLine Website celebrates two milestones

During the last four weeks, Penzance OnLine - the website for Penzance sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce - has reached not one but two major milestones. Since its launch just 3 years ago it has attracted a total of over one million page visits and has grown fast to receive over 500,000 visits in the last 12 months.

The site covers all aspects of tourism, business and residential life in and around Penzance and contains nearly 400 pages of information, both in editorial and listings. It has now become the prime source of information about the town for internet users around the world. Visitors from over 70 countries have explored the site and have brought tourist and retail business to the town.

Many local business and community organisations have joined the site and report very successful results. One business said: "The Penzance OnLine website has now become my largest source of new business and I don't know where we would be without it!"

The Penzance OnLine website, developed by Chamber member Richard Hilder of Bocaina Business Services in Newlyn, is at www.penzance.co.uk and business or other organisations interested in joining can email webmaster@penzance.co.uk or phone Penzance 364531 for details.

Safety UK - Mike's pledge to remain in Penzance

Safety UK's head office has just moved from the Penwith Business Centre to a suite of offices in the centre of Penzance.

The company, founded by Chamber Chairman Mike Waters only six years ago, has bases in Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol and London. Mike is adamant that the Head Office will remain in Penzance no matter how big the company grows as he was born in Penzance and educated at the Humphry Davy Grammar School prior to serving for 14 years in the Royal Air Force.

Safety UK are now one of the foremost firms of Health and Safety Practitioners in the country with clients representing all types and sizes of business ranging from small retailers to blue chip companies and multinational businesses, including public bodies and government departments. The majority of Safety UK's business is outside the County with clients as far afield as Sunderland. In addition enquiries have been received recently from the USA and South Africa.

Mike is now Managing Director of Safety UK and is delighted with the progress that the company has made. Commenting about the recent move into Penzance, he said: "The new offices are bright, spacious and airy; they provide the surroundings that my staff and I deserve having worked so hard over recent years. They also provide an exciting opportunity for us to provide over 30 cost-effective training courses in both health and safety and food hygiene to local businesses and members of the public."

"We are delighted to have developed a unique course looking at Safety in the Home in an attempt to help reduce the 4000 deaths and 3 million injuries currently occurring as a result of accidents in the home each year. This course complements the TV series that I recently recorded for HTV and the Discovery Channel looking at home safety issues."

And what for the future? "Safety International sounds good!"

For further information contact:-

Mike Waters,
Safety UK,
Knights Court,
Causewayhead,
Penzance TR18 2SP
Phone: 01736-361007;
Fax: 01736-367258;
Email:mike@safetyuk.co.uk.

Carbis Bay Playgroup

Porthreptor Playbox is a fully accredited pre-school playgroup based at The Memorial Hall, Trewartha Estate, Carbis Bay.

They are currently compiling a waiting list of children who will be aged two years and six months old, on or after 1st September 2002, for their September intake. The playgroup is open everyday and sessions run from 9.30 am to midday, except on Wednesdays when the session is from 1pm to 3.30pm; fees are currently £3.50 per session

For further Information please telephone Helen on 01736-795087 or Angela on 01736-798862 or pop in for a coffee and a chat.

Join the Chamber

The Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of local business with the County, District and Town Councils, Government agencies and public bodies. It actively campaigns on issues affecting the business community as well as issues affecting the community as a whole. This requires finances and direct involvement by committed people, and deserves the support of every business in the region.

Our Chairman is coordinator of the West Cornwall Group of Chambers and the Cornwall Business Partnership. He is a member of the Priority Management Group 3, which approves Objective One funding in the area of Learning and Skills development. He is also a member of the Penzance Regeneration Steering Group that has worked on the submission of an Objective One bid to greatly enhance the prosperity of the town and its inhabitants. Other members represent the Chamber on such bodies as the Police Consultative Committee and Tourism Committee.

All businesses have problems from time to time, and it has been proved that representation from a Chamber Officer on behalf of the member concerned can greatly enhance the prospect of a satisfactory conclusion. With major issues, such as the Penzance Regeneration Project, West Cornwall Hospital, Objective One and so on needing input from the business community there has never been a better reason for all businesses to become Chamber members - The greater our membership, the bigger our voice. JOIN NOW!

We invite membership applications from individuals and businesses large or small. For further information, visit the Membership Enquiry or Membership Application pages on this site or our membership site at www.penzancechamber.co.uk.

Forthcoming Meetings

The next monthly Chamber Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 2nd 2002 at the Queens Hotel, The Promenade, Penzance at 7.30pm.

Previous Newsletters

Previous Newsletters

1999
   Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

2000
   Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

2001
   Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

2002
   Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Current Month

PENZANCE - THE PLACE TO BE

More about Penzance Chamber of Commerce can be found at:-