Vision needed to make better use of original St Cross Hospital building says Cllr Jerry Roodhouse

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse has written to the local papers about the need to make better use of the original St Cross Hospital building with its potential to help ease pressures on social care and facilitate the recovery of older residents before they return home after treatment.

Dear Editor,

I have attended meetings at St Cross Hospital in what is called the Octapus Training Centre. This means entering via the original St Cross entrance and you can also see the original St Cross building that is now falling into decay. It saddens me that we not only have such a historical building with a fantastic heritage that is now decaying but also a building that should and could be used. I understand the reasons as to why this was done but University Hospital of Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW) and others who are involved in health and social care have some serious questions that now need answers.

We are consistently told that we have a growing older population and along with this pressure there is a shortage of places where people can go before returning home. We also have a reducing amount of dementia care facilities. To me it seems very logical that the original St Cross Hospital could if the willingness was there and vision be brought back into use. Those that hold the levers of power should now act, decide and allow this to be explored. I am of the firm believe that people in Rugby would want to see this brought back into use for the benefit of local people and would support such a move.

To this end, I will lobby Warwickshire County Council and UHCW to seek their support and ask that they establish a project group to explore the options available. If we do nothing this building will fall further into decay along with a further loss of a service for local people that could be made available.

Yours sincerley,

Cllr Jerry Roodhouse