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<p>There are no plans to close Cheltenham General Hospital’s (CGH) accident and emergency
(A&E) and NHS England and NHS Improvement is clear that any potential solution
developed as part of One Gloucestershire’s Fit for the Future public engagement programme
will not include any such plans.</p><p>NHS England and NHS Improvement envisages the
same workforce in the department and this includes a consultant-led service at Cheltenham’s
A&E department.</p><p>Options for public consultation have not been drawn up at
this stage. There are no formal proposals developed which include removing the consultant-led
A&E service at Cheltenham.</p><p>Discussions have taken place between the Secretary
of State for Health and Social Care and the Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust. Following these discussions, the Secretary of State confirmed
on 23 October 2019 that no proposals to close Cheltenham A&E would be included
in the forthcoming consultation.</p><p>CGH’s A&E department is consultant-led
from 8am-8pm and overnight (8pm – 8am) the service is led by specialist emergency
nurse practitioners. This arrangement, which has been in place since 2013, was in
response to a lack of middle grade doctors and has preserved and ensured the continuation
of high-quality care for patients in Gloucestershire 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. Options for public consultation have not yet been drawn up due to the pre-consultation
engagement phase, which is ongoing.</p>
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