ULHT are sending out a survey to gauge opinion regarding the cuts to services and changes at Grantham and District Hospital this June.

District Councillor Charmaine Morgan, Grantham St Vincent's Ward and Chair SOS Grantham Hospital said: "It is good ULHT are engaging with us but they do not refer to restoring our services, rather shaping what they might deliver in the future.

"The changes they made were meant to be temporary. They clearly do not intend to automatically restore all services, breaking a commitment made to Lincolnshire County Councils Health Scrutiny Committee and campaigners.

"There is also speculation the site will be taking Covid positive patients and has in fact already done so, intentionally or not.

"This undermines the Trusts entire argument for a Green site yet is not surprising given ULHT have relied on Grantham Hospital as an overflow site in the past. Why should the combination of a pandemic and winter pressures change this?

"This survey is a worrying indication ULHT may be planning alternative services on site to those we have lost. It is vitally important we take our chance to say what our hospital was/is to us regardless but with this in mind.

"It is not clear how ULHT will ensure the most vulnerable in our community, and most likely to be adversely affected by the changes, are able to access the questionnaire.

"If there is a heavy reliance on online communication and social media the experience of those with Protected Characteristics including the elderly, disabled, low income and very young could get missed.

"We know for example that members of South Lincolnshire Blind Society are now forced to travel for hours to Louth for eye tests. Many do not have computer access, are unable to drive and have no access to a car.

"Whilst the 24hr UTC is an improvement at night on the closed doors of our A&E, many patients have been adversely affected by the 'temporary' changes made to Grantham Hospital in June and loss of the A&E unit and scope and severity of help it could provide.

"We have also lost the vital link between the A&E and admittance into hospital from there should overnight or prolonged medical treatment be required. Now patients needing such overnight care will be referred elsewhere.

"We should have a 24 hour A&E restored along with our other Outpatient Services and Medical Wards. Anything less is treating us like second class citizens denied local services available to residents in or near Lincoln and Boston. The changes have put more pressure on those already struggling hospitals. Those residents now competing with Grantham residents may want a say in the matter.

"The NHS were calling for Trusts to retain acute and medical services when Covid19 hit. Our Trust threw those recommendations out of the window as far as Grantham residents were concerned. And, our lives are still at risk with no local resuscitation or patient stabilisation locally available for critically ill patients. With treacherous winter road conditions even the journey to another hospital is an ordeal and added risk.

"By mainly focusing the questions on experience over the last 12 months, ULHT has made comparison between the services at Grantham and District Hospital before and after the changes difficult.

"We should complete the survey as fully as possible based on our experience and not an artificial time line. We can indicate when we needed Grantham Hospital and why in the text boxes. Carers and parents can complete the survey too.

"It is extremely important to capture the experience of those who needed and wanted to use Grantham Hospital services but were unable to because of the cuts and changes made in June too. They may have had to travel miles for Outpatients appointments, once or repeatedly and may have even given up altogether. There is an opportunity to do this if you were affected this way.

"Patients from as far as Newark and Melton Mowbray, who rely on Grantham Hospital should also comment.

"If anyone needs help viewing or completing the survey I will be happy to assist. After the concerns raised by the South Lincolnshire Blind Society I have called on Andrew Morgan to ensure our most vulnerable people with Protected Characteristics, including our elderly, disabled and our very young are able to respond.'

"Over 80,000 of us told the Trust before to keep our A&E. It looks like we will have to do it again."

The survey can be found here.