May 8, 2018 5.16 pm This story is over 70 months old

Minister promises over Boston hospital children’s ward

Further reassurances after PM promise.
Matt Warman MP for Boston and Skegness.

Health ministers promised to “leave no stone unturned” to make sure enough paediatricians are recruited for Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital.

At Health Questions on May 8, Boston & Skegness MP Matt Warman asked about the need to recruit more paediatricians and sustain services at Pilgrim Hospital.

Jackie Doyle-Price MP, who is the health minister responsible for children’s health, responded positively saying that every effort will be made to make sure this happens.

As previously reported, Prime Minister Theresa May gave assurances that “every effort is being made” to keep the services open in response to a question from Boston and Skegness MP Matt Warman about staff shortages in the hospital’s paediatric departments.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust carried out a review after just 4.5 staff were available out of the eight required to run the service fully – going down to just one from July.

Measures were put in place to reduce the number of beds and operations were temporarily suspended on paediatric patients.

ULHT delayed making a decision on whether to temporarily close the services while reviews were carried out into the impact.

Matt Warman said: “Following my useful meeting with clinicians at Pilgrim Hospital last Friday, I was pleased to have further reassurance from the Children’s Health Minister in the Commons on Tuesday (May 8) that she will be making every effort to ensure that we are recruiting enough paediatricians to maintain children’s services in Boston. Anything less than this would be unacceptable.

“I continue to offer my full support to ULHT in looking at all the recruitment options, and I look forward to discussing this matter in more detail with constituents and local campaigners at the public meeting on Pilgrim Hospital in Boston this Thursday evening.”