New unit at King George won't reduce A&E waits

 The video clip is Matthew Trainer, the Chief Executive of BHRUT explaining why the new unit will only have a marginal impact on the very poor A&E waits at King George and Queens Hospitals.

Matthew says the new unit will have a two new theatres but no overnight beds.

I will table at question for the next board meeting for how many extra beds BHRUT needs to meet the 95% four hour safety benchmark.

King George clearly needs a new wing with additional overnight beds to cope with existing and future demand. Redbridge Trades Council is backing the campaign for a new wing and I hope to have news soon for when our next campaign meeting will take place soon.

 

Study reveals shocking levels of beds making case for new wing at KGH

 This is from the Guardian today

"The average number of beds per 1,000 people in OECD EU nations is 4.6, but the UK has just 2.4. It also identified a major issue with GPs. “The equivalent of 1,348 fewer fully qualified full-time GPs were working in the NHS when the pandemic hit in March 2020 than there were in 2015,” it found."

No wonder our NHS is such a state, let's hope the campaign for a new wing at KGH gets some more supporters. 

My guess is the average number for the BHRUT region is worse the UK average of 2.4 per 1,000. The East London population has grown but not the bed numbers at KGH & Queens.

Hopefully local health scrutiny committee will asking what the average number of beds is for BHRUT per thousand. .

Full article at https://t.co/rJnGCKbF1c

Why Cllr Athwal & Berlin's letter to about the 40 bed shortfall scandal at BHRUT needs to go asap

 Dear Councillors and MPs & GLA members

It was great that Cllrs Athwal and Berlin agreed to write a letter to Sajid Javid MP, the Secretary of State for Health, seeking that the 40 bed shortfall scandal at BHRUT be remedied at a Jewish Hustings last night.

The reports on next door are mixed, but they are enough to be very worrying about care standards at King George and Queens. Research shows long waits at A&E departments are linked to longer hospital stays and higher death rates.

So the sooner the letter goes to Sajid Javid the better. My view is a plea should be made for some of the NI increase monies to be given to hospitals like King George & Queens where staffing is such an issue that beds are being closed.

It seems the days when BHRUT staff could travel the world to find staff are now gone and NHS wages need to rise in a global market for health staff.

We do not know whether the situation has got worse or improved since Mr Trainer’s report to the board. Bob Archer, one of the speakers at our meeting on the 9^th April wrote to BHRUT and got a prompt, but uninformative response, to his enquiry about this.

I hope other elected representatives also write to Mr Javid seeking help and send a message to the new wing for King George meeting this Saturday.

There is a message of support from NELSON (NE London Save our NHS), a long standing cross party campaign group below.

Regards

Andy

Nelson Statement

Members of NELSON (an alliance of NHS campaign groups across North East London) are concerned by Matthew Trainer’s comments at the March BHRUT board meeting that:

A) BHRUT has funding for 40 beds, but due to an inability to find staff they cannot be opened.

B) Quality of care is suffering due to these 40 beds being closed, in particular, stroke care is declining and A&E waits are longer than they should be

C) It should be noted that Mr Trainer says that even if all 40 beds were opened, type 1 A&E 4 hour waits would only move from being in the 20% range to the 30% range, well below the 95% safety benchmark. This is evidence of a substantial capacity deficit at BHRUT.

We call on

1) The government to increase staff pay nationally as a matter of urgency, to help attract and retain staff to BHRUT.

2) The BHRUT board to go back to monthly meetings (these are now bi-monthly) to enable the public and elected representatives to monitor the situation effectively.

3) Call on NE London MPs and GLA members to support the campaigns for more beds at the new Whipps Cross Hospital and a new wing at King George Hospital.

Two Next Door comments below, one positive and one negative, I regret to report that there are more negative than positive ones. This is to be expected with some of the worst A&E type 1 waits in England.

A positive review

“I was also there last night with my little boy, who felt so unwell he couldn't stand and was sitting on the floor in the queue. However, as soon as we triaged and sent to A&E they acted very quickly and started treatment within minutes of us walking into children's A&E.”

color:#333333"> A negative review

Sorry for your experience and my experience was similar. It was sad to see babies and children so I'll but being told they'd have to wait 5-6hrs. For what? So the company could make a profit? At one point *one* GP was seeing patients as well as doing the triage! While there were unwell children and a lady on so much pain she was quietly crying in the corner. Why was the UTC so under-resourced? Is profit so important? Over people's suffering?

Email to Councillors in 3 boroughs on 40 bed shortfall scandal & plugging new wing meeting on 9th April

Dear Barking & Dagenham, Havering & Redbridge Councillors

This is a letter sent to all Councillors in Barking & Dagenham, Havering & Redbridge.

Dear Barking & Dagenham, Havering & Redbridge Councillors

Our last campaign event outside King George Hospital called for a new wing at King George relying on the BHRUT AGM board papers stating there is a 100 bed shortfall at King George & Queens hospitals.

Since then the situation has got worse: the type 1 A&E performance is often the worst in England. In the video clip at Mr Trainer on bed shortfall from the March 2022 board meeting, Matthew Trainer, the BHRUT CE says the key hour A&E type 1 benchmark is sometimes as 20%, way below the safety benchmark of 95%

Mr Trainer says there are bed shortfalls in acute assessment and community stroke totalling around 40 beds. BHRUT has the funding to open these beds, but cannot find the staff. Mr Trainer also says that care would be “significantly different” if all the beds were staffed. Mr Trainer defines what he means by significantly different in the video clip. However, the A&E wait time would only improve marginally. It is a scandal that the NHS is not offering enough wages to attract staff.

Mr Trainer does not say this, but perhaps you will agree with me that the bed and staffing shortfall will increases the risk of poor care.

We have a public meeting calling for a new wing for King George hospital for Saturday 9^th April at 3pm. Speakers include Bob Archer, (Redbridge Trades Council), Ashburn Holder, (Liberal Democrats) and RoseMary Warrington (Greens). It would be great to have some elected representatives with us too. The meeting is also on Zoom at meeting id 892 5049 4827passcode 832165

I am writing to my elected representatives requesting one of them write to Mr Trainer to enquire if the situation has improved. Once the current situation is known I expect a letter will be agreed for local newspapers and the Secretary of State along with photos of our banner calling for a new wing for King George.

The above are my own views and not of any of the speakers.

Regards

 

Andy Walker

Thanks for everyone attending and 100 bed shortfall shows capacity issue huge issue at BHRUT

 Many thanks thanks to all those attending last night per the pic below.

The board papers at the AGM show a 100 bed shortfall. This is bound to put patients at risk of poor care during busy periods. As a consequence I have written to Cllr Jas Athwal, Keith Prince AM & Sam Tarry MP with a view to speaking at our next campaign meeting.

Photo shoot for a new wing for King George on Wednesday 29th September outside King George Hospital 6:15pm meet for a 6:30pm photo shoot

 I wrote to Councillors in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge yesterday. I am delighted to report that Cllr Paul McGeary will be attending. 

Dear Councillors

1 - Photo shoot for a new wing for King George on Wednesday 29^th September outside King George Hospital 6:15pm meet for a 6:30pm photo shoot

If you agree there is a compelling case for BHRUT to make a bid for a new wing for King George to cope with current and future demand I would be grateful if you could attend the photo shoot on Wednesday 29^th September outside King George Hospital for 6:15pm meet for a 6:30pm photo shoot. Next day, the 30^th September is the BHRUT virtual AGM which is opportunity to ask questions of the board in support of the campaign for a new wing.

There are similarities between the campaigns for a new wing at King George and the 2018 campaign for more critical care beds at BHRUT.

Campaigners, including elected representatives, noticed there was a shortage of critical care beds at BHRUT when we attended 10 Downing Street in July 2018 calling for more funding for critical care beds for Queens and King George Hospitals. I quote from the Recorder article:

“The group submitted a letter on July 12 asking the government to increase the funding of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospital Trust (BHRUT) who manage Queen’s Hospital and the King George Hospital.

The letter reads: “We note with concern that both [critical care] units were frequently full last winter...King George was full 12 times this February and Queens was full five times in February.”

This campaign for critical care beds has had some success recently with BHRUT securing funding of £11.5M for more critical care beds at both Queens and King George Hospitals per their press release of 6^th September 2021.

However, back in 2018, BHRUT managers denied there was a need for more critical care beds. Similarly today, BHRUT managers deny there is the need for a new wing at King George

For the avoidance of doubt, I do not speak for any of the elected representatives who attended 10 Downing Street.

Recently, some elected representatives have been campaigning for a new wing at King George. At the BHRUT board meeting yesterday NHS managers disputed the recent claim in the Health Service Journal that BHRUT has the worst performing A&E departments in the country. Whether the BHRUT is the worst or not, it is clearly one of the worst and at the board yesterday one of the managers said there was insufficient bed capacity. In November of last year I wrote to you as follows

“Shelagh Smith, the BHRUT Chief Operating Officer, said there was a shortfall of 90 beds, 60 for the elderly and 30 for specialist medicine”

Cllr Zammett is on the record in the press as saying in March this year.

“They are going to need another four wards (to reduce wait times)”

2 - Proposed child mental health unit at King George relates to the campaign for a new wing

The welcome announcement of a proposed child mental health unit at King George appears contributory evidence for why we need a new wing at King George. My twitter account has a video extract from yesterday's BHRUT board meeting showing Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive Kathryn Halford saying BHRUT intend to open a child mental health unit at Dahlia ward, King George Hospital next month. It also shows Peter Hunt, the BHRUT press person saying it is not an in-patient facility and then apparently contradicting himself by saying the children are there awaiting a bed. This raises questions such as:

Will bed capacity be lost at Dahlia ward? If this is the case, will replacement beds be found elsewhere?

Were Councillors and MPs informed of this development? (I can't find any public document to say they were)

3 - Why Secret Business Cases relate to the campaign for a new wing

My expectation is that if we see these secret business cases they will not demonstrate an ability to cope with present and future demand for BHRUT. Freedom of information requests at my “at what do they know show” page shows a request entitled “board papers” dated November 2020. BHRUT are refusing to release key business cases discussed within closed board meetings relating to our emergency departments. These business cases are:

The Emergency Department Queen's Hospital Full Business Case

The Paediatric Assessment Unit Queen's Hospital Full Business Case

Emergency Department King George's Hospital Full Business Case

These three cases involve substantial amounts of public money and it must be right that are published in full. We own the NHS and to make this slogan a reality we must be able to see key plans before they take place. Should you agree perhaps you can write to BHRUT and copy me in.

BHRUT has refused to supply these three cases and I have appealed to the Information Commissioners Office.

1. Why easy to understand Mortality Statistics for King George & Queens Hospitals should be published again to help the campaign for a new wing

Mortality statistics help hold both NHS local managers and central government to account for their clinical and funding decisions. The board papers presented yesterday showed:

“Four hour performance for Type 1 was 41.29% at King George Hospital and 38.32% at Queen’s Hospital in July 2021”

The safety benchmark is 95%, with performance as low as this (amongst the worst in England), it is reasonable to be able to compare BHRUT death statistics with the average. This is because there is lots of academic research linking long waits at A&E to an increase in death rates.

For years I have been seeking updated BHRUT death statistics as outlined in a freedom of information request to me dated 10 January 2017. The statistics provided in 2017 are easy to understand 12 month mortality rates (SHMI) for King George and Queens hospitals on a site by site basis. Back in 2017. They show pneumonia death statistics to be a cause of concern at the time.

These statistics are key benchmarks used by senior NHS management to help avoid a repeat of the Mid Staffs scandal. While the NHS publish SHMI statistics on a regular basis at NHS Digital they are not easy to understand for an ordinary person. The apparent failure of the current reporting system is that is does not appear to flag up if a particular illness such as pneumonia is an outlier at one hospital.

We need to see these death statistics since 2017 so we can see if the additional pressures placed on Queens and King George by growing population has had an adverse impact on the death rates at our hospitals. The NHS digital site on SHMI and my page at “what do they know” entitled “death stats” has more information. If you are sympathetic perhaps you could write to your health scrutiny representatives to ask if they agree this information should be published.

NHS digital has refused to supply the statistics and I have appealed to the Information Commissioners Office.

Regards

Andy Walker

Plugging 27th March meeting for a new wing for King George with Councillors in three boroughs

Dear Barking & Dagenham, Havering & Redbridge Councillors

The latest NHS A&E stats shows BHRUT the worst performing Trust in England for type 1 A&E performance for January 2021. The safety benchmark is 95%, BHRUT came in at 39.5%. I quote from a Health Service Journal article of 12^th February .

“Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust has struggled with the accident and emergency access target for years. Its longstanding staffing and capacity problems have been dramatically exacerbated by covid and in January it only dealt with 39.5 per cent of patients inside the four-hour target. “

BHRUT accept there is a bed shortage of 90 beds, 60 for the elderly & 30 for specialist medicine. A video of the board discussing this shortage is my twitter @andywalker1945 for the 29^th November. My expectation is that even more beds and doctors are required to reach NHS safety benchmarks.

Our latest campaign meeting for a new wing takes place on Saturday 27^th March at 3pm. So far we have Keith Prince AM, Cllr Nic Dodin, Rosemary Warrington of the Green Party & Pete Mason of the Socialist Party. We also have a number of trade unionists speaking and I hope the platform will grow. If you would like to speak please get in touch with me.

I am minded to formalise the campaign by setting up a bank account with £25 affiliation fee for local groups to join to cover campaigning costs and so build support for the campaign. This can be discussed at the 27^th March meeting. The aim is for local political party branches, trade unions, faith groups, resident associations etc to affiliate.

Should you wish to speak on the 27^th March and or discuss being listed as a supporter on the campaign website do contact me. First draft of constitution is:

“The campaign seeks to campaign for a new wing at King George Hospital on a cross party and cross borough basis to improve care for residents in Barking & Dagenham, Havering & Redbridge. To this end we seek £25 affiliation fees from local political party branches, trade unions, faith groups, resident associations & other community groups. How best to drive the campaign forward will be discussed at public meetings which will be held at least twice a year with an Annual General Meeting to elect officers”

Regards

Andy Walker

07956 263088