Flyer for Air Quality Meeting at St Pauls Community Centre with local NHS child death stats

 

stopthetescotoxictowers.blogspot.com

C/O 120 Blythswood Road Ilford IG3 8SG 8th July 2023

07956 263088 twitter: @andywalker1945

email: andy.walker@talk21.com

Dear Residents

Residents’ Public Meeting 8pm Monday 10^th July 2023 8pm Methodist Church Hall, Percy Road IG3 8UA

Briefing for air quality meeting at St Paul's Goodmayes Community Centre

Sir Keir Starmer’s comments on ULEZ recently have put the issue of air quality into the news. The debate on the pros and cons of ULEZ is hampered by the lack of data on real child deaths and hospital admissions. Since 2021 I have been seeking full postcodes for child deaths and hospital admissions linked to air pollution at

www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/information_on_child_cancers_oth#incoming-1853745 I have an upper tribunal hearing seeking full postcodes on the 27^th July, my grounds have changed to say the information should be given to an academic rather than to me. The death stats show a significant drop in deaths during covid lockdown. Without the full postcodes and dates of deaths (to allow tracking to high pollution days) we cannot judge whether air quality was the cause or not. The death stats are overleaf. A longer version of this newsletter is at the above site.

 

To join our WhatsApp group please go to

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DEzr4WGkkr9Czy76oBZd70 

This newsletter is online at the above site to allow it to be shared and make it easier to join the WhatsApp group via the link

Regards

 

 

Andy Walker

 

News on a step forward for the campaign to stop the High Rise slums is over the page

Application for 236 High Rise slums on Seven Kings Car Park withdrawn

 

The Council withdrew this application on the 30^th June 2023. The location is toxic blighted by traffic and noise pollution. This withdrawal is a small step forward for the plan to stop the new slum housing in Redbridge being built. Thank you to Paul Scott for noticing this. More on this at the link below.

 

https://planning.redbridge.gov.uk/redbridge/application-details/181563#:~:text=Application%20reference%20number,30%20Jun%202023

 

Crime Stats are a model for Council Governance

  Our Council is taking various welcome initiatives to reduce crime. However, publication of crime stats each month at Redbridge Cabinet needs to happen to improve crime reduction. The stats need to be within a written report accompanied by an oral report with public questions taken. Similar reports need to be produced for housing, health and all services that the Council provide or scrutinise. The Council have declared a climate emergency, so it is particularly puzzling that monthly reports on what is being done about the climate emergency are not being produced. Stats and reports are key in the private sector and the NHS. It must be right that Council introduce monthly reporting too.

 

What you can do:

 

1) Write to Sam Tarry MP at sam.tarry.mp@parliament.uk at to see if he will meet our campaign team

2) It would be great if you could attend council meetings to either ask a question or support Paul Scott or I who regularly attend meetings. Future meetings at Redbridge Town Hall are:

 

Overview Committee on 13^th July at 7:15pm

Planning Committee on 18^th July at 7:15pm

Cabinet on 20^th July at 20^th July at 7:17pm

Next Residents meeting at 8pm 10^th July details over the page

Writing to Councillors for support for banner to be displayed for the new wing meeting on the 17th July & Bodgers Tower photoshoot

 Dear Councillors

1) New Wing for King George meeting on 17^th July at 8pm at Redbridge Town Hall

2) Photoshoot outside Bodgers on 17^th July at 7:15pm calling for dual stair cases

New Wing for King George Hospital Campaign Meeting

The text below shown in red is taken from the minutes of May 2023 board papers.

Mr Andy Walker was invited to raise a question. Mr Walker referenced the good news of further capital development at King George Hospital and noted that sometimes projects were delayed and questioned therefore whether the project was on target and whether it would be expected to help reduce the poor Type 1 Emergency Department results. In response, the Chief Executive clarified that the works referred to were two additional theatres which would be part of the Trust’s Elective Hub. It was reported that building works were on track for a Spring 2024 opening and whilst the work would offer enhancements it was unlikely to affect Type 1 Emergency Department performance. The work would not provide inpatient beds and the only possible benefit to Type 1 performance was that a significant number of people attending the Emergency Departments were on the Trust’s surgical lists. Therefore, if planned care could be managed on time, this might take the pressure off the Trust’s front door.

The new wing currently being built at the King George Site is very welcome, but is a job half done.

The trust is building new theatres to cope with our growing population, but has failed to put in a bid for new in-patient beds to cope with existing and future demand. It would be helpful if you could attend.

I have asked Jas to display our banner plugging the meeting at the Town Hall from the 10^th July. If you are supportive of this idea, I would be grateful if you could write to Jas.

Photoshoot outside Bodgers on 17th July at 7:15pm

This photoshoot has two purposes, firstly to argue for safer dual staircases rather than the single staircase currently proposed for this 42-storey tower block. Secondly, to draw attention to the need for a new wing at King George Hospital to cope with the ever growing population. The Bodgers Tower being the most iconic example of the growth planned.

Regards

Andy Walker

Two cheers for a new theatres wing: A another wing with inpatient beds is needed for three cheers

 The photos below were taken on  4th June 2023. They show a new wing at King George being built. Well this is very welcome, it is only half the job because the wing is for two theatres, it does not include any overnight inpatient beds which are vital if the longest A&E waits in England at BHRUT are to be reduced.

 The campaign team have a meeting on the 17th July at Redbridge Town Hall to call for another  new wing for in-patient beds. This is reasonable with the sharply rising BHRUT catchment population.

We have a photoshoot this Saturday 10th June at 12:45pm meet for a 1pm photoshoot to promote the meeting on the 17th July. The Facebook event page is at https://fb.me/e/3bAkPeOwH

Our campaign will be linking up with the campaign to keep open the Wanstead Youth Centre on the 10th June.

Press on how bad the situation is now is below, 

Hospitals in England with worst A&E waits revealed - check if yours is on the list - Mirror Online 

The Mirror lists BHRUT as the worst in England

1,700 BHRUT A&E patients wait over four hours for treatment | Romford Recorder

Longest A&E waiting times at Queen’s Hospital trust since 2014 | Romford Recorder

Long waits at A&E departments are known to lead to longer stays in hospital and higher death rates. Some of the studies confirming this follow:

https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/5-hour-emergency-care-wait-before-admission-linked-to-heightened-death-risk/

Data shows long A&E waits may have caused 23,000 'excess patient deaths' | UK | News | Express.co.uk

https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/5-hour-emergency-care-wait-before-admission-linked-to-heightened-death-risk/

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