Campaigner still waiting for answers about ‘dangerous’ hospital access

A LOCAL woman is still waiting for answers regarding what will be done to improve pedestrian access to Melksham Hospital, which she has branded as dangerous.

Caroline Fielding, who relies on a white cane as a mobility aid and is registered as blind, says that she feels she is being given the runaround by authorities since raising her concerns in February about the lack of a footpath or safe area for pedestrians to use to walk  to the hospital.

Since raising her concerns she has been told by Great Western Hospitals Foundation Trust that they are not responsible for the estate, and that this lies with NHS Property Services.

The last update in March said that NHS Property Services would be ‘reviewing the pedestrian access to the site to assess the options for improvements’, but no timescale was offered.

“I’m feeling as though I’m being given the runaround while this urgent issue is passed from one department to another,” said Caroline. “It’s frustrating that after all this time, the only answer I seem to have is that the hospital trust is not responsible for anything to do with the building or land, including the car park.  They accept all users of the car park are owed a duty of care, but don’t accept responsibility for that duty of care!

“I have finally been given a name, Colin Pugh (from NHS Property Services and responsible for the NHS estate in Wiltshire), as the person responsible for the car park, but no contact details.

“I’m told by Daniel Purdy (facilities manager for Great Western Hospitals Foundation Trust) that there is a meeting on 20th June, when he intends to clarify a timeline for improvements. Whether that includes making the car park accessible or not, isn’t clear.

“While various departments bounce this urgent issue around meetings after meeting, I believe that it is only a matter of luck that a tragedy hasn’t already occurred  in the dangerous and poorly-planned Melksham Community Hospital car park.”

Melksham News approached NHS Property Services for an update on the situation. They said, “We work with a specialist disability charity to improve the accessibility of our properties and we have asked them to assess Melksham Hospital as soon as possible, with a view to making improvements at the site.”