At BHRUT Board meeting

Save King George Hospital activists turned up at the BHRUT board meeting earlier today. The photo was taken outside Queens before the meeting started.

Inside the meeting Board papers were available which showed the Queens A&E four hour waits had dipped below 80% at times last year. The latest bed occupancy figure given for King George and Queens combined was 95% .

The Care Care Commission states in their December 2013 report regarding King George Hospital

 "Once bed occupancy rates rise above 85%, quality of patient care can be affected"

 Averil Dongworth, the BHRUT chief Executive was asked in light of these statistics whether the plan to close King George Hospital A&E in 2015 was still going ahead. Averil said the closure plan is continuing.

The campaign to ditch these potentially dangerous proposals must go on.

Come to the photoshoot tomorrow at Queens 12:30pm

There is a Save KGH photoshoot tomorrow, Wednesday 8th January 12:30pm outside Queens Hospital ahead the BHRUT board meeting in Queens hospital at 1pm. The purpose is to call for the board to accept that a key part of the recovery plan to get our hospitals safe and out of special measures must be the abandonment of the plan to close KGH A&E.

Campaign Briefing

Save King George Hopital Campaign Committee members Bob Archer, Barry Fleetwood, Bill Howe and Andy Walker attended at Redbridge Town Hall

Points agreed were:

1) The proposed closure of KGH A&E lay at the root of the problems highlighted by the CQC last week.

2) A photoshoot to be organised outside the next meeting of The BHRUT board meeting.

3) AW to request sight of plans to extend Queens A&E and ask whether the publicised potential reduction of services at Barts Trust were being taken into into account.

4) AW to write to BHRUT seeking information about whether increases in A&E attendance being driven by population growth as main driver.

5) AW to write to Mr Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, seeking a definition of clinically safe. The test set for closure of KGH A&E.

Come to the next save KGH planning meeting

Next planning meeting of Save KGH group Monday 23rd December 10am Ilford Town Hall

 Open to everyone who wants to work to keep KGH open

   Agenda

   1) Apologies
   2) Minutes and matters arising
   3) Discussion and response to BHRUT being put into special measures   
   4) AOB
   If you cannot make it, perhaps you could send me ideas for how to move the campaign forward.

  Below is the recent Redbridge Council press release on the last save KGH public meeting together with links to Recorder stories on KGH.   Andy 07956 263088

 King George Hospital A&E Campaign Public Meeting

A group of cross party MPs and Councillors from Redbridge made the case for keeping King George Hospital (KGH) Accident and Emergency open at a public meeting on Friday 6 December at Redbridge College. MPs Mike Gapes and Lee Scott attended the event to argue against the closure, as did Councillors from the Borough echoing the views expressed at November’s full Redbridge Council meeting, where there was a unanimous vote to oppose the move. Some of the concerns raised about the closure included: * a fear that some residents were in danger of losing their life * Redbridge was one of the fastest growing boroughs in the UK and so needed its own A&E * Barking, Havering, Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) was failing to hit A&E four hour waiting targets, and Queens would be unable to cope if KGH A&E were to close. Averil Dongworth, Chief Executive of BHRUT, Dr Heath Springer, Clinical Director at Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and Conor Burke, Chief Officer for CCG in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge  were there to answer questions from the public and explain how the process would work and what the CCG’s vision is for new services on the KGH site.   Mrs Dongworth said Queens was the busiest A&E department in the country, but would be able to cope with the new KGH A&E closure once new building works had been carried out at Queens. In a joint statement, the Group Leaders from Redbridge Council, Councillor Keith Prince, Councillor Ian Bond, Councillor Jas Athwal and Councillor Filly Maravala, said: “We are baffled how BHRUT can say KGH can be safely closed in 2015. We are nearly in 2014 and as yet we have not seen the plan of this new building at Queens. “The Council has written to the Secretary of State on several occasions opposing the closure. Residents can rest assured that we do all we can to keep KGH A&E open.” Residents can link to this page on the BBC’s website which will enable them to put in their post code and see how well their local hospital is performing each week on A&E waiting times. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25055444- See more at: http://www2.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/news_and_events/latest_news/2013/december/king_george_hospital_ae_campa.aspx#sthash.REIpQgIx.dpuf     

 The Recorder story on the meeting is here http://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/news/trust_chief_queen_s_isn_t_ready_to_take_patients_from_king_george_hospital_a_e_but_it_will_be_1_3091052 

 The Recorder story on special measures is here http://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/news/cqc_report_patients_are_at_risk_at_unsafe_king_george_hospital_a_e_1_3127111SentOlderNewerActionsReplyReply allForwardDeleteFlagMoveMark unreadMark as spamHi, andy. Set Your LocationSign outPrivacy | Legal | Help© 2013 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved

Can you phone a friend about the KGH meeting this evening?

Tonight, MPs Mike Gapes and Lee Scott will be arguing the case for keeping KGH A&E open. Averil Dongworth the Chief Executive of KGH and Queens Hospitals will say why the A&E must close in 2015. The start is 7pm today Friday 6th December, the place is Redbridge College at Little Heath where Barely Lane meets Chadwell Heath Lane. Lizzie Deardon of the Ilford Recorder is chairing. A good attendance in support of Lee and Mike would be great, if you are going please phone a friend and see if we can fill the room this evening. Andy

Can you help with Public Meeting for this Friday

MPs Mike Gapes and Lee Scott will debating the future of King George Hospital this Friday at 7pm at Redbridge Colleg with Averil Dongworth, the manager of Queens and King George Hospitals. Barry and I will leafleting for the meeting today at Ilford Station. On Friday Bill and I will be at Newbury Park. If you can help at a station, please let me know. Andy 07956 263088

Mr Hunt's office on the KGH situation

 Barry Fleetwood's correspondence with Mr Hunt's office below along with his commentary. 

SAVE KING GEORGE HOSPITAL ACCIDENT &EMERGENCY

Campaigning for your safety and your children’s' safety

Dear Minister

In reply to a question from Lee Scott MP, concerning the future of King George Hospital  A & E Department,you answered “King George will not be closed until there was an absolute certainty  of the safety  of doing so and that Queens would be able to cope”.

Residents are faced with one A & E closing and the alternative Queens – according to the CQC failing, and there has been no improvement over the past 2/3 years.We would therefore like you to quantify “an absolute certainty” i.e does that mean  3 clear inspections by the CQC with no criticsm, 168 hours Consultant  Cover per week,6 months without the 4hour rule being broached etc.

We cordially  invite you to join Mike Gapes MP, Lee Scott MP and Mrs Averil Dongworth –BHRUT Chief Executive on the Platform  for our Public Meeting on Friday 6^th December at Redbridge College, Barley Lane, Redbridge RM6 4 XT, at 7 pm to present your answer. The Meeting is being Chaired by Ilford Recorder reporter Lizzie Dearden.

We look forward to seeing you on the 6^th. If by some unfortunate occurrence you are unable to attend, we would ask to substitute one of your senior Ministers to take your place.

Mr Hunt’s Reply

Our ref: DE00000822696 

 

 
Thank you for your correspondence of 15 November about the future of the A&E department at Barking Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust (BHRT).

I am afraid that the Department is unable to accept your invitation, as it would not be appropriate for a minister to attend.

In 2011, and following an independent review of the proposals for local service change, the then Secretary of State for Health decided that implementation of the proposals by the local NHS under 'Health for North East London' should proceed, but only after improvements at both Queen’s and King George hospitals had been demonstrated.

When making this decision, the Secretary of State for Health instructed NHS London (whose responsibilities for this issue have now passed to NHS England) to give assurances that the local NHS had undertaken the necessary actions before implementing changes.   

The reconfiguration of services is a matter for the local NHS, and it would not therefore be appropriate for a minister to now apply tests or measures that must be met before these changes are made.

For maternity services at King George Hospital, such assurances were given and these changes were successfully implemented in March.

The Department understands from NHS England that the local NHS is planning to implement the agreed changes to emergency services at BHRT in 2015. 

NHS England is expected to give its assurance to the Secretary of State for Health that the local NHS has undertaken the  actions necessary prior to these changes.  This will include, not exclusively but as a minimum, ensuring it is safe and that there is sufficient capacity in the system.

King George hospital is not closing.  A GP-led urgent care will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at King George’s and a range of other services are being planned for the site.  Local people will be able to access specialist services at other hospitals when necessary.

I hope this reply is helpful.

Yours sincerely,
 
Charles Podschies
Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries
Department of Health

We have a number of comments to make on the Ministers reply

1.To attend a Public Meeting to defend HIS policies to the electorate and taxpayers seems to us entirely appropriate.

2. His refusal  to attend personally Is understandable, but not to send a representative??

3. One might be minded to consider that he finds his own policies indefensible, certainly the High Court does.

4.”Secretary of State for Health instructed NHS London (whose responsibilities for this issue have now passed to NHS England) to give assurances that the local NHS had undertaken the necessary actions before implementing changes.”

The Minister appears to be abdicating all responsibility for this reconfiguration.somewhat at odds with his assurance in the House in reply to a question from Lee Scott ““I will go back and make absolutely certain that no changes will be made until it is certain that they are clinically safe.” Is the Minister in charge?

5 The point of this letter was for him to quantify what is “absolutely certain” he cannot make such a statement without being able to quantify “certain “ or does he propose to employ guesswork or a fortune-teller ?,

“and it would not therefore be appropriate for a minister to now apply tests or measures that must be met before these changes are made”

He has already applied tests “absolutely certain” but refuses to answer a direct question to support his statement to the House. Unless he is waiting to appoint Russell Grant as a Special Advisor.

6.”For maternity services at King George Hospital, such assurances were given and these changes were successfully implemented in March” This is not an example that is relevant,as A & E is much more complex, and in any case 6 months is not enough time to judge whether the change for Maternity is yet successful.