Raids Kill Occupations Save Lives-official

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If that demunstration is built for properly it should be possible to give Scarman clear evidence that his enquiry is widely regardedespecially by those whose problems it is supposed to investigate-as a fraud and a "Concern was expressed by those who did not want the hospital to close that moving patients would kill them and that the authority by its action was hastening their deaths."

"... the proportion of patients surviving fell steeply during the three months September to November 1980."

These two statements, the first by a Professor Millard and the second taken from the report commission ed to study the deaths of patients transierred from st Benedicts (page 3), highlght the reasons for the fierce opposition to the closure of St. Benedict's.

The report recently pub lished set-upamid the fanfare of a press conference was, the Defence Committee believe, originally commissioned due to the pressure from some Regional Health Authority members to monitor the patients transferred from St. Benedict's in order to assess the effect the move had on them.

Delay

The Area Health Author ity was originally due to report in April, but said that it had "missed the cycle" of meetings and would not be able to report until May.

The committee believes that the delay in reporting was to allow time for Profes0r Millard to prepare his justifying preface-whick nearly dismisses the 23 deaths as necessary for future generations, deaths which were necessary to "achieve essential development of services for the elderly...

Members of the St. Benedict's Defence Committee have studied the report and feel it is essential that all its false and concocted assumptions should be attacked.

What the Committee asked for was a simple report comparing deaths from September 9 1980 (date of the first removal of patients) starts in July 1980 and so includes three months which do not measure the effect of the trauma following a forced move. The moves only began in September.

According to the committee's calculations, using the mortality in relation to morbidity criteria used in the interim report (12 months equals 32 deaths), already 26 patients have died in six months.

Taking the figures from September 1980 (when the transfers began), they calculate that over a twelve month period the mortality rate could be 46.

That an AHA can make a crass deçision to cut geriatric services in a time of growing need purely for financial reasons is irresponsible. However, that it would go to great lengths and lie with statistics to cover up the gult lala on its doorstep by the increased death rate is reprehensible.

Despite all its factual inaccuracies and false statis tics the report firmly finds that during the period of the occupation the mortality rate fell (" ... mortality between December 1979 and August 1980 was slightly lower than in any of the three preceding years"). This proves, significantly, that standards of patient care do not fall during occupations.

Trauma

It shows that staff, themselves under great stress, continue to put patients first.

The report shows that. mortality increased, as the supporters of St. Benedict's said it would, following the trauma of uprooting elderly and frail people.

Deaths were predictable and avoidable. Those who opposed the closure knew this as did those who advocated it.

The advocates of closure chose financial considerations first and patients second and should now have the courage to accept the consequences of their decision.

Patients have died and 200 long term geriatric beds have been lost in this district.