If you have to go to A&E, which hospital do you go to ?
If you have the choice of a hospital then which one do you go to ?
Well you may be aware of the plans of Sandwell and City hospitals to merge a lot services onto one site in Grove Lane Smethwick. the implications from this on not clear yet on the two older hospitals but I have personally used both over the years. Usually Sandwell for A&E and the City for Day surgery for the family.
If I had to think of going to A&E Sandwell is always first choice and 6 months ago I had to go on a red light to A&E and which one was it, Sandwell of course. For me personally the other choices are far more difficult to get to and if you can not drive the 451 makes it so much easier to go home.
This is one that residents of Pheasey should be aware of for the future as I think it is inevitable that A&E will be removed from Sandwell and Grove Lane is more awkward to get to.
Be interesting to fond out how much we use Sandwell, Good Hope or the Manor as the nearest three.
News and Views about Pheasey Park Farm 
Always used Sandwell, feels cleaner than Dudley road! But think the new hospital will be a little more difficult to get to, esp in an emergency!
Hi Ian; Excellent post. Like your family, mine have always used the Hallam (re-named Sandwell circa 1974) hospital, West Bromwich. As you correctly state, it’s easily accessable from our corner of the Black Country here in Pheasey/Park Farm; An ambulance can get you there in under 10 minutes i’d say; it’s 10 to 15 minutes by car and if you’re using Outpatients for example or another non-emergency service, the hospital can as you say be reached conveniently by using the number 5 bus running between Sutton Coldfield and West Bromwich.
This crazy idea to close services at the Hallam and Dudley Road hospitals and move them to a new site in Smethwick is going to create problems not just for us here in Pheasey/Park Farm, but also for our good neighbours in Whitecrest, Oscott, Scott Arms, Red House; and further afield in Hamstead, Yew Tree, All Saints, Stone Cross etc etc.
Smethwick is at least twice or more the distance to travel; and if they do close A & E at the Hallam, then i fear that this unwise proposal might even cost some people their lives.
P.S. Great game yesterday evening; I’m, as you’d probably expect, gutted at the result. 3 goals away from home and we still end up with nowt!!!
The idea of this sends shivers down my spine!
It is common knowledge that speed is of the essence when arriving at hospital under many circumstances, mainly for issues suffered by the old but not always. As i am now the wrong side of 50 of course the chances of myself being in need of arriving there in a hurry are growing higher each and every day. So on that basis alone we will no doubt see more loss of life. I have to admit that given the choice, which we all now have, i would always opt for the Sandwell or even maybe a private hospital when i am referred by my doctor (as this is actually your choice when referred nowadays even though your doctor may not tell you so and private becomes free too, or so i understand as the case). When it comes to needing to get there fast, believe me, they can take me anywhere they want that is the closest!
My eldest daughter was born in the Hallam and passed away in the Manor some 12 years later so for that reason alone i would prefer to be closer to Sandwell than the Manor every time.
They are my personal reasons why i don’t want it to move to Smethwick but then there are other reasons such as all the millions they recently spent on A + E in Sandwell, what a waste that could turn out to be. It does not make sense to close the A+E at Sandwell under any circumstances.
Nett result of this happening will be loss of lives, more pressure on the Manor and or Good Hope and no benefit whatsoever for anyone that it affects!
P.S. Not talking about football anymore today!