Horton committee urged to consider buildings for '˜maternity return'

Keith Strangwood chairman of Keep the Horton General NNL-160706-143824009

Campaign group chairman Keith Strangwood called on the Horton Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee to ensure provision of a servicable maternity hospital building is included in its work.

Mr Strangwood of Keep the Horton General urged members of the ‘Horton HOSC’ committee, meeting on Monday, to ensure there is a space for a returned consultant-led maternity unit.

“I’ve got great concerns about the infrastructure at the Horton and in the eventuality that this committee gets a return of obstetrics, it should be looking at that now,” he said.

Cllr Arash Fatemian, chairman of the Horton Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee NNL-170908-093838001

“It’s been over two years now that (the maternity building) has been neglected and it’s something that needs to be looked at early.”

Mr Strangwood also urged the pace of the committee’s review to be speeded up. The outcome is not scheduled until September 2019.

Speaking after the meeting Horton HOSC chairman Arash Fatemian said: “This (review) needs to be done properly and exhaustively this time. Yes it’s moving excruciatingly slowly. I’d like it to be faster and it probably can be speeded up a bit but when you balance things, it must be done exhaustively and correctly. I think people would rather we did it right than rush it,” he said.