KGH/Queens press story

Well done to Bob and Helen for getting story about NHS position on sharing information:

http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/rbnews/9476412.REDBRIDGE__Campaigners_welcome_Health_Trust_s_promise_to_share_information/

CQC Action plan and press story

When preparing letter to write to BHRUT following last Friday's meeting came across the CQC action plan version 6 of January 6 2012available here: www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/aboutus/mhb.php

The 2nd point listed under strategy is:

"Reduce the over utilisationof Queen’s Hospital and under-utilisation of King George Hospital"
I am puzzled as to how closing KGH A&E and maternity and sacking 25% of the medical staff in the area is going to help with this aim. BHRUT is committed to a bed mapping exercise by March so hopefully things will become clearer soon.

Well done to Bob Archer for getting press story here:

http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/rbnews/9471873.REDBRIDGE__Campaigners_call_for_Hospital_Trust_to_publish_figures/

Mike Gapes raises KGH in Commons

Mike raised KGH in the Commons yesterday per the below: more at http://www.mikegapes.org.uk/mike-presses-lansley-on-kgh

Mike Gapes Pressed Health Secretary Andrew Lansley on Maternity services at KGH in Health Questions today

Mike Gapes (Ilford South) (Lab/Co-op): Can the Secretary of State intervene with those involved with the health for outer north-east London programme to get them to allow the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust to use the births and maternity capacity at King George hospital to take pressure off Queen’s?

Mr Lansley: As the hon. Gentleman knows, following the independent reconfiguration panel report, which I accepted in full, the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Trust is looking to manage safely its maternity services, while improving the quality at Queen’s. It is doing that in close co-operation with NHS London and, indeed, with the advice of the Care Quality Commission, following the commission’s inspections. I will continue to be closely involved in that, and we will continue to support the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Trust in improving services for the hon. Gentleman’s constituents and others.

Speaking afterwards  Mike Gapes said he was “disappointed but not surprised”  by the refusal of the Secretary of State to intervene. “There is currently capacity at King George which could be safely used to meet the wishes of local mothers to give birth locally and would take pressure  off  Queens.  I understand that the BHRT wanted to use this capacity  but the bureaucrats in Health for North East London have so far not approved this.   They would rather force Ilford mothers to go to the overstressed Queens a hospital which has been forced to transfer other  births to Essex , Homerton or Royal London.”

Notice of next meeting of Save KGH meeting on 13th January

The next meeting of the Save KGH campaign committee will take place on Friday 13 January at midday please phone Andy on 07956 263088 if you want to attend..

Agenda

1) Collection of issues to discuss under Any Other Business

2) Report back from last public meeting at 11^th December public meeting at St Johns Church Hall – thank you to Jonathan Evens for the use of the hall.

3) Discussion of way ahead for campaign as outlined by letter in November Ilford Recorder by Mike Gapes, Lee Scott and Ian Bond. I copy the letter below.

We write to reassure readers that our campaign to save the A&E and Maternity wards at King George Hospital will continue. Our campaign has had some influence, the Urgent Care Unit proposals now have higher staffing levels on a 24 hour 365 day a year basis than the original plans and Andrew Lansley, the Secretary of State for Health has ordered that the closure plans will only go ahead when the standard of health care has improved. Our view is that maternity and A&E wards continuing at King George Hospital are vital to the plan to improve health care. There is much to do as the investigation of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) makes it clear that the local health service is amongst the worst in the UK.

So our campaign will now be broadened to include a better NHS deal for our residents. Our first thoughts to achieve this aim are to:

a) Ask Averil Dongworth, the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust Chief Executive to produce a monthly report detailing how she is working towards meeting the targets set in the CQC report. This report to be published on the Health for NE London website along with waiting list and medical staffing figures.

b) To seek an assurance that the two month deadline for cesarean sections to be brought back into the Trust to prevent women having to travel to Hackney is on track to be met.

c) Ask for A&E temporary closures to be published on the Health for NE London website within 48 hours. Never again should people rely on the bravery on an ambulance driver speaking out at a public meeting to find out Queens A&E had to close to ambulances because it could not cope.

d) To invite Averil to meet us on a quarterly basis for a discussion of her report

e) To seek support for a call for a research study into the mortality rates for people taken to Urgent Care Units who are then transferred to a proper A&E against those who go straight to an A&E. After a Radio Four show critical of Urgent Care Units it seems sensible that such research is carried out immediately. We expect such research to show that Urgent Care Units provide a second rate service and full A&E services should be maintained.

The key issue is how Averil expects to deliver a better Maternity and A&E service with the 25% less staff outlined in the closure plans when the A&E service at Queens was found to be approaching collapse by the CQC and large numbers of pregnant women are being diverted away from Queens/King Georges because existing staff cannot cope.

We want to hear from campaign supporters before writing to the Averil and so will be holding a public meeting so that others can propose ideas for how we can move our campaign forward. Should your faith group or resident association like to host the meeting please phone 07956 263088 ENDS

The letter contains 5 suggestions which we could take on board/amend.

4) To my knowledge planned caesarian sections are still not being done at either Queens or KGH, it is baffling to me why local women and their families should still be travelling to either the Homerton or Royal London. Should we be requesting that senior local elected representatives seek a meeting with Alwen Williams, ONEL Chief Executive to seek some answers as to what is going on?

5) Roger Evans has said that at a recent Redbridge Council meeting that if the KGH closures cannot be done within two years then the closure plans should be scrapped and the wards kept in place – do we want to support Roger’s position? 

6) Dates for next committee meeting and public meeting

7) AOB

Recorder KGH and Queens story

The Ilford Recorder published a story yesterday

http://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/news/long_waiting_times_today_at_redbridge_s_under_pressure_a_e_1_1172603 saying KGH and Queens patients are currently experiencing long waits

A NHS manager is quoted:

: “A&Es are always very busy at this time of year, and unless people have a life-threatening illness or injury, they will be seen much more quickly and appropriately elsewhere"

Is discouraging  people from attending A&E the best advice?

An NHS web article on strokes says:
"Surveys regularly show that most people cannot name the three main symptoms of a stroke, yet strokes claim 67,000 lives a year and are the leading cause of disability. Thousands of deaths and cases of disability could be avoided if people could spot the symptoms and seek immediate treatment" full article at http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/stroke/Pages/Strokesymptoms.aspx

Some people could lose vital time if they incorrectly diagnose a symptom because they are concerned about being a burden on their local hospital.

With both Queens and KGH A&Es struggling to cope with demand how can it be safe to close KGH A&E?

Another distressing Queens story

Click on link for another distressing story about Queeens    http://www.itv.com/london/queens-hospital39427/  which went out yesterday.

It baffles me that maternity services are being proposed to increase at Queens when it cannot cope with existing demand.