Ludlow Hospital league of friends in drive for members

Ludlow Hospital's League of Friends has launched a huge drive to recruit another 1,000 members before the town's £27 million 'health village' is built.

Peter Corfield, league chairman, said when the new hospital is built on the Ludlow Eco Park, the group would need about 2,000 members to vote on key decisions and raise funds for equipment.

NHS chiefs approved plans for the new hospital earlier this year, and work is due to begin on site next month.

The health village will feature a 36-bed hospital, three-bed midwifery unit, outpatient consulting rooms, a minor injuries unit and space for a pharmacy.

It will also see two GP surgeries moving to Ludlow Eco Park from the town centre. By the time the hospital opens in 2014 Mr Corfield said the league of friends would need to be ready and prepared for the challenges it will bring.

At the annual general meeting of the League of Friends on Wednesday eve-ning, it was resolved to mount a campaign to increase membership.

The league currently has fewer than 1,200 members, many of whom joined seven years ago when the future of the current Ludlow hospital was under threat.

Mr Corfield said: "Because of the number of members we were able to influence the decision makers in the local Primary Care Trust to help them appreciate the need for local healthcare and, ultimately, to proceed with the new healthcare facility project.

"We now need to recruit new members to ensure that we maintain an opinion base that will reflect the views of residents in the catchment area. Ideally we need about 2,000 members to maintain our stakeholder status with the community health trust.

"Members have the opportunity to air their views on healthcare.

"When the new hospital is up and running in 2014 we will need many more volunteers to meet and greet patients and visitors and to help operate the café and refreshments service."

Call (01584) 318468.

By Peter Finch