Photoshoot

Thank you to everyone attending and to the Wanstead and Woodford Guardian for the write up here by the http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wanstead_woodford_news/14298621.New_hospital_data__blows_logic__in_closing_A_E__MP_claims/

Photoshoot Wednesday 24th February 9am outside King George Hospital

Wanstead & Woodford Guardian are doing a photoshoot at 9:00am Wednesday 24th February outside King George Hospital for all those oppossed to the closure of King George A&E. Wes Streeting MP will be there."

BHRUT cancel meeting with campaigners

Steve Russell Deputy Chief executive of BHRUT and Rachel Royal offered to meet campaigners at 1:30pm today to discuss concerns about how the plan to close King George A&E is impacting upon patient care at both King George and Queens Hospitals.

A key concern is why were 29 acute beds cut from our hospitals for the period April 2015 to December 2015?

For two senior Hospital  managers to take time to discuss our Hospitals was very welcome. I asked Steve and Rachel if it  was OK to for other campaigners to attend along with Lara Keay a journalist from the Wanstead and Woodford Guardian. I was told it was OK, but BHRUT had second thoughts and cancelled the meeting.

Councillors from across the political spectrum were going and so it is a disappointment that the meeting has been cancelled.

Shortly after BHRUT cancelled the meeting I was sent a Freedom of Information Request which shows Queens having to send patients to King George in January 2015 due to all acute beds at Queens being full up. This an extract received by me on 19^th February.

“1) How many and which days Queens Hospital had all its acute beds full and long each instance lasted in the month of January 2015

1-17, 19-31 January 2015 – no beds available

2) How many patients entering Queens as an emergency were transferred to other hospitals as a consequence of Queens being unable to cope due to not having enough acute beds in January 2015 and how many went to King George Hospital?

transfer to King George Hospital: 13”

 

Steve and Rachel were asked to reconsider their decision to discuss this information but they refused. A Freedom of Information Request for the January 2016 figures has been made:

I will be asking this question of Dr Maureen Dalziel, Chair of BHRUT at the next board meeting on Wednesday 2^nd March.

Dr Daizel: will you agree to consider no more acute bed cuts at King George and Queens Hospitals until -

1. The 95% four hour A&E safety benchmark waiting time has been met for a 12 month period at both King George and Queens Hospitals?
2. Acute beds are not full at Queens Hospital leading to patient transfers to King George Hospital for a 12 month period?
   
   

BHRUT have been offered a right of reply on this site.

Why have NHS changed story over Blood testing at King George for under 7s?

Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Groups sent me the following earlier today

We’ve been looking into the blood tests for young children issue that you raised and are happy to clarify.

Firstly, the Trust has confirmed to us that any child aged 3 and over can have their blood tests carried out at King George Hospital, in the main phlebotomy area, if their parent/carer wishes. That hasn’t changed.

Queen’s Hospital has for some time offered a service for under 3s and children with learning difficulties, to have their blood tests at Queen's in a dedicated area by a specialist paediatric phlebotomist. These phlebotomists are specifically trained to deal with young children, to reduce stress and make the process as smooth and painless as possible, which you’ll appreciate is a good thing.

In September last year the Trust employed a second paediatric phlebotomist at Queen’s to expand that service to benefit more young patients. At that point the service was expanded to the under 5s, and in January this year, as part of a phased approach, expanded again to treat the under 7s.

That specialist service has never been offered at King George but the Trust is now looking into replicating that service at King George at some point later this year.

So, it seems the confusion was caused by posters about the specialist service at Queen’s being put up in King George. To clarify – children over 3 can be tested at King George, but under 3s, needing the specialist service, are seen at Queen’s. ENDs (my emphasis above)

While the statement is welcome, there appears a bias in favour of Queens because the statement appears to be saying that Queens has two paediatric phlebotomists, with none at King George. This must raise concerns about revealing an attitude about running services down at King George. Secondly, the NHS have changed their story. BHRUT was saying in the tweet below that "Those over the age of 7 are still able to have blood tests at King George" These 18 January tweets now appear to be deleted from the BHRUT twitter account.

Photoshoot outside Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Group, Becketts House, Ilford Hill on Thursday 28 January 2016 at 1pm.

Under 3s cannot have a blood test at King George Hospital, instead they have to go to Queens. For families closer to King George than Queens this means more time spent on transport than necessary leading to:

More pollution, traffic, and an increased risk of road accidents. Some parents will face more time off work which could bring a financial penalty.

Last week at a Redbridge Council meeting available here under public questions:

http://www2.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/the_council/public_meetings/council_and_cabinet_audio/cabinet_meeting_audio_12_jan.aspx

Councillor Mark Santos Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care announced he had spoken to BHRUT and they said they intended to provide blood testing for under 3s at King George. Since then BHRUT has not provided a statement about when the service will start. Until a written statement by BHRUT is produced with a firm date on it there must be a concern that the plan for blood testing at King George for the under 3 is an aspiration rather than a firm commitment.

The purpose of the photoshoot is to request the CCG to instruct BHRUT to provide a date when the service will start. The CCG meets on the 28th at 1:30pm.Please phone Andy on 07956 263088 before attending in case BHRUT decide to provide a date before the meeting starts, the photoshoot is at 1pm.

Save King George Hospital Meeting Redbridge Town Hall Midday Friday 22 January

The next meeting of the save King George Hospital campaign team will take place this Friday 22 January at Redbridge Town Hall at midday..

The decision of BHRUT to remove blood testing for under 7s from King George Hospital earlier this month without notifying Councillors will be discussed. This reduction of service is wrong because it will for

1. Will mean missing more time of work for some parents,
2. Missing more time from school for children,
3. Adding to congestion, pollution and risk of accidents

For those families closer to King George than Queens. The BHRUT twitter account account relies on the CQC as authority for the closure. It does no such thing it says the service needs improving, which is what BHRUT should have done instead of closing it.

Slowly reducing bold testing at King George will mean that the pathology lab on the King George Site can be closed in stages, rather than in go which would likely be more difficult for the Queens pathology lab to cope with.

Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Group who have the power to instruct BHRUT to start blood testing again for the under 7s meet in Ilford on the 28th January at 1:30pm. Perhaps there will be sufficient support for a photoshoot outside the meeting at 1:15pm asking for the return of under 7 blood testing to King George.

BHRUT have been offered a right of reply to be published on this site.

Why Inaccurate?

BHRUT have told their 2000 odd followers that the blog

http://savekinggeorgehospital.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/why-doh-need-to-honour-their-guarantee.html

is inaccurate. I have asked them to say why, with an offer to print what they say along with a retraction if I agree with them, nothing has come back. It is not fair for a large institution to say an article about it is inaccurate without providing evidence to say why. BHRUT should write explaining why they say the blog is in inaccurate or delete their tweet.