Last year I wrote to the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman (P&HSO) to complain about flaws in the public consultation exercise carried out by the North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Trust which resulted in the closure of Hartlepool hospital A&E department (see posts dated 19 & 27 September 2012 for further details).
I argued that the outcome of the Momentum proposals were deeply flawed because the Trust had failed to engage or consult with the residents of East Durham, and that consequently the closure of Hartlepool hospital's A&E department ought to be reviewed and an opportunity be given to the people of East Durham to have their say on the future of services at Hartlepool hospital.
I have now received confirmation from the P&HSO's office that my complaint has been passed to an Assessor who will investigate my concerns further.
Whilst I am pleased that the ombudsman has agreed to progress my complaint to the next stage I wouldn't want to raise false hopes. The Trust can be persuasive and evasive in equal measure and we have a long way to go before we reach any form of redress in this case. However, it is a step in the right direction.
I expect further contact from the Assessor within the next week or so and I will update on progress in due course.
