IPSWICH'S MP has today criticised plans to move head and neck cancer surgery from Ipswich Hospital.

IPSWICH'S MP has today criticised plans to move head and neck cancer surgery from Ipswich Hospital.

In his formal response to the Anglia Cancer Network, which wants to scrap the service and move it to Norwich, Chris Mole said the plans could be devastating for facial trauma at the hospital.

He said: “The benefits to a very small number of patients may be outweighed by the disbenefits to others affected by the impact on maxillofacial trauma services at Ipswich Hospital.

“The NHS has to be persuaded that patients, such as road traffic accident victims, are not put at risk by having to be transferred to the Norwich and Norfolk following stabilise and transfer procedures.

“There is a case for change, but this has not been strongly made and the theoretical benefits for a handful of patients may be outweighed by the uncertainty that reconfiguration will necessarily deliver improvement and the risk to other services provided at Ipswich Hospital that are dependant on the maxillofacial team.

“If the network decides to proceed with implementing its proposals it should seek to enable as much split site working as is possible with a combined Norfolk/Suffolk multi disciplinary team and with the minimum number of patients being transferred to Norwich and then only for the most complex of surgery.”