SIR – Regarding the recent press coverage reporting the movement of cancer patients from Worcester to other Midlands hospitals when a complex procedure is required, literally for life-saving purposes.
The trust are saying the reasons for this are about not having adequate infrastructure for the ongoing care of these patients. I believe this is a falsehood and that the real reason is about cost saving.
I say this because I have recently undergone surgical procedures at Worcester myself that are at least if not more complex than those that people are being refused the opportunity to have.
We still have the same excellent head and neck surgeons, critical care unit and specialist ward staff.
Anecdotally I can tell you that I have undergone similar treatments at both Cheltenham and the Royal Marsden, both deemed to be centres of excellence, my care and treatment at Worcester was just as good.
Of the patients sent to other hospitals in the last few days several have been told that those hospitals can only offer palliative care, their lives could be saved by the excellent team at Worcester but they are being denied that option.
Tony Baker
Malvern
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