Unacceptable claims from NHS managers yesterday makes case for public meetings in September and November

I wrote the below earlier today to save KGH A&E supporters today to canvas support for campaigning for a new wing at King George:-


Well done to Meenakshi for obtaining the answer below to her question at the July East London Joint Commissioning Alliance in reply to her question about King George.

"The proposal for a more specialist A&E dedicated to frail and elderly patients is no longer the preferred option. Recognising the broad and growing demographic pressures, the local health system is in the process of considering all options for the service model for urgent and emergency care which will best serve the whole population needs. These plans are in early stage of development and full engagement with all stakeholders will take place in due course to help shape them, including public consultation if this is appropriate."

This answer is unacceptable as we need a plan to extend King George now to cope with existing and future demand. NHS managers have been working on the new clinical strategy for BHRUT for two years this November making it completely  reasonable for us to push for the NHS to produce a draft plan with the options being considered now.

Meenakshi, Bob and I are up for a meeting this September to make the case for the following time table:

Draft submissions to disclose options by end of September to go to members:

Resident Associations, Trade Unions and political parties members to feed back on drafts in October

Resident Associations, Trade Unions and political parties to submit their final submissions in November to BHRUT.

End of November sees a public meeting at Ilford Town Hall with a march from KGH an effort to persuade BHRUT to at least a publish a draft clinical services strategy asap. BHRUT will have had two years by then to produce their plan, so disclosing the options they are considering now has to be the right thing to do.

Other areas are getting substantial investment, BHRUT will not do so until they publish and agree with the public representatives a plan to extend our local NHS. The Whipps new build is welcome, but no extra beds are promised, the new build at St Georges is welcome too, but again no acute beds will be provided. 

Speakers at our September public meeting to say how they wish to see King George expanded, I say we need a new wing with more acute and critical beds to make up for the 160 beds closed together with a mid-wife led maternity unit. Other speakers may have a different ideas for King George, the idea is start a conversation about how we can stop the decline in our local hospitals.

The alarming type 1 performance for KGH & QH for January and February of this year make the case for extending acute capacity to cope with our growing population.

I have copied in Joe and Andrew in the hope that the NHS will send a speaker to the September and November meetings.