UNISON is giving its support to a community campaign to fight for the future of paediatric services in Bedford.
Bedford hospital will have no short-stay assessment or inpatient facility for children from 1 August, although the trust says the A&E department will continue to treat children.
UNISON branch chair Julie Baker said: “I have serious concerns about how this situation, relating to service users and the impact of the unit closing, may have on such a vulnerable group in need of local paediatric in-patient care.
“I also have concerns about the uncertainty our affected members now face about their own job security and what the future holds for them.
“The seriousness of the situation must not be taken lightly and the far reaching ramifications should the service not return must be considered.”
UNISON and other health unions have been briefed about the situation and will be meeting with the acting chief executive and other early next week, where it is hoped that more information will be forthcoming.
Union regional organiser Cheryl Godber said: “It is clear, based on the decision to remove junior doctors, that the paediatric service could not run safely and that is difficult to argue against.
“Nobody wants children to be put at risk.
“However, it’s the issues that led to this decision; the impact on the Bedford community of the removal of services; the impact on staff who will no longer be delivering those services; the wider implications for other services such as the ambulance service; and ensuring that the temporary suspension of services is just that – a temporary suspension – that are now of paramount importance.
“There are a lot of questions to be asked and a lot of answers awaited.”
“On behalf of UNISON members and the local community, I have asked the trust to provide its written plans for the future of the service and how it will deal with the affected staff in the interim.
And Ms Godber continued: “I have been advised by the trust that there is every intention for a paediatric service to be running in Bedford in the future.
“However, like many other people, I am concerned that once the service is gone, will it ever really return?
“Working jointly with the Bedford community, is one of the main issues that we need to bottom out with the trust.
“I want to give credit to the staff who are more concerned about the impact of the removal of the service for the children than they are about how it affects them personally – they are the total professionals in this dreadful situation which is not of their own making.”
