Why Tony Chambers has misled Keith Prince AM

I wrote to my elected representatives to seek assistance about the closure of the type 1 Children's A&E at King George Hospital. Keith Prince AM was kind enough to write to Tony Chambers Chief Executive of BHRUT, the Trust which runs King George A&E. Tony wrote the email below in reply.

Dear Mr Prince,

I hope this finds you well.

Many thanks for your email.

Please be assured that our Emergency Department at King George remains, and will continue to remain, a type 1 facility for both adults and children.

In effect, this means we provide a 24/7 consultant led service with resuscitation facilities, so we are well equipped to deal with any paediatric emergencies on the King George site should they arise.  So for example, if a child rapidly deteriorates on arrival, we have the appropriate resources in place to treat them.

It may also be helpful to note that ambulances do not bring paediatric patients to King George and that this practice pre-dates Covid-19.  

Best wishes, 

 

Tony

 

Tony Chambers | Chief Executive

Trust Executive Office

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

This is misleading and I have written to Tony to seek a retraction per the below:

Tony Chambers

Chief Executive 

BHRUT

Dear Tony

I hope you and your family are well. Keith has passed me your email claiming the Children's A&E remains open as a type 1 unit.

This is the definition of a type 1 A&E:

"A Type 1 Emergency Department is defined as ‘a consultant led 24-hour service with full 

resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients’. (my emphasis) 

Your email to Keith omits to point out that by closing Clover Ward, the only in-patient ward for children at King George Hospital, BHRUT no longer provide "designated accommodation" for children at King George and therefore transfers children to Queens in need of a bed.

If  King George did not have any in-patient beds for adults it would no longer be a type 1 A&E and instead downgraded to a type 3 urgent care centre. The same follows now King George no longer has in-patient beds for children, the children's A&E has been downgraded to a type 3 urgent care centre. 

You have clearly misled Keith with your claim that the type 1 Children's A&E remains open. I would be grateful if you could retract your email. Instead, I suggest sending an email clarifying the position along with a statement on your website saying the Chidren's A&E at King George is closed and advising parents to go Queens along the lines that every other hospital in England has done where a children's type 1 A&E has been shut.

For the avoidance of any doubt, my email is mine alone, and no implication should be made that Keith shares my view.

Regards

Andy

Letter to Ilford Recorder on Closure of Type 1 King George Children's A&E

Dear Sir or Madam

The claim by Tony Chambers, the Chief Executive of BHRUT,  that children's A&E at King George Hospital has not been closed does not stand scrutiny.

By closing Clover Ward, Mr Chambers closed all in-patient beds for children at King George Hospital, and reduced the service from a full type 1 A&E to a more restricted type 3 urgent care A&E.

Other hospitals that have closed their type 1 Children's A&E and have been up front about the closure and advised parents not to send their children to the closed A&E. 

This is because transferring children from King George to other hospitals puts children at a slight but nonetheless real risk of worse care.

Hospitals are sources of coronavirus infection so parents and children who are transferred are also at risk of additional and unnecessary coronavirus infection.

Mr Chambers statement is at 

savekinggeorgehospital.blogspot.com

Bob Archer & Andy Walker

END of letter statement below

• Dear 

  
  

  Many thanks for taking the time to seek clarification on this point.

  
  

  As I am sure you accept, patient safety is our utmost priority and I would like to reassure you that the A&E at King George has never been closed to children which has been clearly stated on our website  – copied for ease of reference below:

  
  

  Paediatric Emergency Services

  Our Emergency Departments (A&E) at both King George and Queen’s hospitals remain open, however we have made some changes to the way we currently care for our children and young people.

  Children and young people arriving at Queen’s will be assessed and any necessary treatment will take place there.

  Children and young people who arrive at our Emergency Department at King George Hospital will be assessed when they arrive.

  If they need further care and are well enough to be transported by their family members/carers, they will be asked to make their way to Queen’s Hospital; patient transport will be arranged where required.

  Our more unwell patients will be seen by a team at King George initially and, if needing admission to hospital, be taken by ambulance to Queen’s Hospital.

  
  

  I hope you and your family stay safe and well.

  
  

  Kind regards,

  
  

  Tony

  
  

  Tony Chambers

  Interim Chief Executive