Whittington A&E – Story 11

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Dawn’s story:

My four year old son caught his finger in the door of some public toilets in Highgate last summer. It was a very bad cut and looked as if the bone had been crushed. Naturally, he was in agony and great distress and the finger was bleeding profusely. I was with our two other small children and we ran to the A and E at the Whittington and were soon reassured that no bone had been broken, there was no sign of likely infection and that the cut just needed gluing.  The thought of driving all three children to the Royal Free Hospital in the afternoon traffic (a journey that can easily take half an hour or more) makes me go cold.

I would probably have felt I had no choice but to call an ambulance. Such an action would put further strain on the ambulance/ emergency service surely?  I shudder to think of what could happen if any of my children (or indeed their mummy or daddy) needed prompt emergency attention to save their life….The Royal Free Hospital is too far; it is a disgrace for London residents to have to travel such a distance. We are living in a densely populated area, not in the Outer Hebrides….

Full investigation needed on ‘crackpot’ roundabout development plans, say Liberal Democrats

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Liberal Democrats in Highgate have slammed Haringey Council for refusing to act over the future development of a key site at the gateway to Highgate. Liberal Democrats say Haringey Council’s ‘crackpot’ approach could see the busy gyratory system, at the top of the Archway Road, used for building flats. The fact that Haringey owns the land just adds insult to injury, say local Liberal Democrats.

Previous plans, although now on hold, for development at 505 Archway Road, propose to build one commercial property on the ground floor, six two-bed and one one-bed residential flats above. Highgate Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Williams has asked for a full planning brief for this sensitive site – but this has been turned down by Labour-run Haringey Council.

Cllr Williams says the refusal to act is also the height of hypocrisy – Haringey Council is rightly investing with Transport for London (TfL) in removing the gyratory system in Tottenham Hale, but is willing to contemplate building housing in the middle of a gyratory in Highgate.

Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate), comments:

“It’s clear Haringey aren’t bothered about putting a block of flats in the middle of this traffic roundabout – but it is a totally crackpot idea. You would wonder how on earth such a bizarre idea ever got this far. It adds insult to injury, that Haringey is the owner of this land.

“We need a full planning brief, for local residents to have a full say on the plans for this important entrance to Highgate.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“Haringey Council needs to fully consult on this key Highgate site, or it will show they are ignoring local residents.”

Village Drinks – Stonewall Hustings

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Ben Somerskill and Stonewall sponsored by Village Drinks (network for Lesbian and Gay professionals) put on a hustings last night in the West End.

They do things really well. Well thought out. Well arranged. Well chaired. I think all the candidates did well and set out their stall – and the debate was interesting and the questions wide-ranging.

Chris Bryant represented Labour, Nick Herbert represented the Tories, Chris Smith the Greens – and obviously I was there for the LibDems.

The basic LibDem stall is that the clue is in our name – Liberal – through and through – and not just for elections. I started the campaign for the ban on gay men giving blood donations to be lifted. At first both Terence Higgins Trust and Stonewall declined to join me. However, Stonewall changed their position and have been campaigning too for this. The safety of the blood supply is paramount – but whether or not donations are given should be based on the risk from an individual’s behaviour – not a blanket ban. Neither the Tories nor Labour supported my amendment.

Then, I raised the issue of the Government’s intransigence during the Equality Bill and their refusal to change the protected characteristic of ‘gender reassignment’ to ‘gender identity’.  Trans issues are very different to gay issues in substance – but the discrimination and harassment they suffer is of the order of the early days of gay liberation. Sometimes the gay community can be a bit cross and feel that trans get lumped in with gay issues – but the suffering and quest for equality and freedom from discrimination and harassment is the same.

Anyway – in the Bill, the Government displayed complete ignorance of transgender issues. They showed relentless and ill-informed determination to keep it as ‘gender reassignment. They seemingly did not understand or even wish to understand the complexities of the range of the spectrum of gender identity. They had no awareness that many, many trans people never change sex nor even ultimately pass for the other gender nor even go on that journey nor that some people are just intersex in some form and that those who have gender identity issues will experience discrimination and need protection because they don’t fit gender stereotypes at all.

Over the years of campaigning for LGBT equality, Liberal Democrats have always led the field. We were first to civil partnerships, first to fight for gays in the armed forces, now gay marriage and the introduction and duty for schools, all schools, to talk about sexual orientation openly and as just part of life.

And what a furore it caused when Nick Clegg said that there should be a duty to talk about homosexuality openly at school. But of course it should – as just another normal way of being. It is absolutely crucial.

Homophobic bullying is rife as am sure you know with 6 out 10 children homophobically bullied. Burgeoning sexuality can be pretty confusing at the best of times, but to suffer any bullying let alone homophobic bullying is cruel beyond belief. This is one of the areas where this Labour government has really failed the LGBT community. In the equality Bill homophobic bullying has a different level of protection to any of the other strands. There is a lower bar of harassment for example – for race, gender and religion. Only sexual orientation is left to the more difficult protection of simple direct discrimination. Homophobic bullying should have exactly the same protection as all other protected characteristics. End of.

I could go on – but suffice to say was a very good event and a very important agenda and a very enjoyable evening.

Whittington debate today in Parliament

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I secured a 90 minute in Parliament today on the Future of London Hospitals – obviously about the Whittington A&E, maternity and paediatrics.

I wanted to use this opportunity to really put the case to the Minister that the sweeping changes being proposed have no clinical evidence base and no business case. I demonstrated (for about half an hour) how there is no evidence of where or how 45,000 A&E patients who could not be handled by an alternative means would be cared for, nor any existing services in the community to deal with the 38,000 shoved from the A&E to Primary Care. Out of hours GPs are already a worse service in Haringey than the rest of London and there is no statistical data on polyclinics or urgent care centres to show that they could cope. There has been no work on access and up until now – no proper extensive quantative consultation.

The Minister in his wind-up was pretty clear that he did not think the case for the Whittington A&E to close had been made. I think the fact that this is Labour policy that is driving this – together with the benefit of the pressure from the coming election – has helped the Minister into this position – at least for now!

As soon as Hansard is published – I will paste up or link to the actual debate – as many Members made very good and robust arguments from all sides of the political divide.

Whittington A&E – Story 10

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Adrian’s story:

I completely support the campaign to keep the A&E service going at the Whittington and have had three experiences:- 1. About 18 months ago I cut my foot badly at home (I live in Crouch End). My wife drove me to the Whittington, where I had a rapid first examination and assessment, before taking my place in the queue while more serious injuries were dealt with. Had the Whittington not been available, (and because of the amount of blood!), I would have had to call for an ambulance.
2. I have a stepbrother with Aspergers syndrome. About 2 1/2 years ago, at a time when he was self medicating, he became very concerned, and disturbed that he had taken too much medicine. He was able to take himself to the Whittington, who discussed the matter with him, to discover that in fact he had failed to take one particular set of medication. (When I went to pick him up, I was informed, tongue in cheek, that A&E was not the place for people who had underdosed!)

3. My 80 year old mother in law had a fall at home about 4 years ago, leaving her very bruised, shaken and distressed. We took her to the Whittington where she had a rapid first assessment, and was then kept for observation for about 4 hours. A more distant hospital would have need the services of an ambulance, and would have been considerably more distressing for her.

MP helps local disabled resident let down by Haringey Council

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Lynne Featherstone and MichelleA disabled woman who has spent a year and a half in the same room without access to normal bathroom facilities has this week got extra support from local MP Lynne Featherstone to make sure Haringey Council delivers on their year-old promise to build her an accessible toilet and shower room.

Highgate resident Michelle, who is bed-ridden and in severe pain following an operation 18 months ago, cannot use the stairs and upstairs bathroom. In April 2009 she was assured by Haringey Council that a downstairs bathroom would be built. 11 months later, after full plans have been drawn up and the case given the highest priority, the work still hasn’t started.

Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone, who recently visited Michelle to see the dreadful situation for herself, has now intervened and demanded that Haringey Council gives a definite date for when work will start.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Michelle has been to hell and back, and frankly having to wait almost year for Haringey Council to deliver on their promise to get her an accessible bathroom adds insult to injury!

“It’s a question of decency and with full planning sorted and the space cleared for work to be carried out, I’m honestly at a loss as to why she keeps being fobbed off.

“This has been going on for too long. She needs that bathroom and Haringey Council needs to start work now – no more excuses!”

Highgate resident Michelle adds:

“Through the years I have had to deal with Haringey Council on many occasions. I have always tried to deal with issues myself first, but often have had to turn to Lynne for help – with her help I for instance got the Council to put in a disabled bay in front of my house.

“The situation I’m in now is so difficult, but hopefully with the help of Lynne, I will soon have my new bathroom.”

Whittington A&E – Story 9

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Michael’s story:

A couple of years ago, actually late in the evening walking home to Avenue Road N6 from the Annual Meeting of the local residents’ association CASCH, I tripped over a raised manhole cover in the pavement at the Coolhurst Road end of Avenue Road and fell flat on my face. Not a good thing to do at age (as I was then) nearly 70, and I split my chin open right to the bone and did various other forms of no good to my face. My wife drove me straight to A&E at the Whittington, where fortunately it seemed to be a fairly quiet night, and I was treated and patched up with much efficiency and goodwill within an hour of the mishap. It would have been much less convenient to have to go further afield, and as we get older it is actually a comfort that the A&E is so close.

Incidentally, I have had various treatments at the Whittington over nearly four decades, and I have been thoroughly satisfied with them all.

"Freedom, creativity and the internet" – motion passed at LibDem conference

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Very pleased that the following motion was passed at our conference this morning regrading the Digital Economy Bill. There was an excellent debate and at the end I was with just about everyone else in the hall in voting for it:

Conference notes with concern amendment 120a to the Digital Economy Bill which facilitates website-blocking for alleged copyright infringement and which was passed on 3 March 2010.

Conference however welcomes the stand of Liberal Democrat MEPs against website-blocking and the secrecy of the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations, condemned by the European Data Protection Supervisor for endangering internet users’ fundamental rights.

Conference believes that this amendment to the Digital Economy Bill

a)would alter UK copyright law in a way which would permit courts to order the blocking of websites following legal action by rights-holders

b)would be open to widespread anti-competitive and civil liberties abuses, as the experience with the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act illustrates

c)could have a chilling effect on the internet, freedom of expression, competition and innovation as Internet Service Providers take down and/or block websites to avoid facing the costs of legal action

d)may be illegal under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and other EU law

Conference condemns

a)website-blocking and disconnecting internet connections as a response to copyright infringement

b)the threat to the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals and businesses from the monitoring of their internet activity, the potential blocking of their websites and the potential termination of their internet connections, which could lead to the closure of internet hotspots and open wifi operated by small businesses, local councils, universities, libraries and others

c)the Digital Economy Bill for focusing on illegal filesharing rather than on nurturing creativity and innovative business models

Conference supports

a)the principle of net neutrality, through which all content, sites and platforms are treated equally by user access networks participating in the Internet

b)the rights of creators and performers to be rewarded for their work in a way that is fair, proportionate and appropriate to the medium

Conference therefore opposes excessive regulatory attempts to monitor, control and limit internet access or internet publication, whether at local, national, European or global level.

Conference calls on the Federal Policy Committee to commission a new policy working group to draw up a full policy paper on Information Technology and related aspects of intellectual property which should, in particular, consider:

1.Reform of copyright legislation to allow fair use and to release from copyright protection works which are no longer available legally or whose authors cannot be identified (orphan works).

2.The ‘common carrier’ concept, under which internet service providers would not be liable for material that they may carry unknowingly on their networks.

3.The creation of a level playing field between the traditional, copyright-based business model and alternative business models which may rely on personal copying and legal filesharing.

Northern Line closures: 20 months of misery ahead for local residents

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Lynne Featherstone with local councillors Bob Hare and Neil Williams at Highgate tube stationLocal residents will not be able to use the Northern Line from local stations in Highgate, Archway and Finchley at weekends until December 2011 after tube operator, Tubelines, announced 82 weeks of weekend closures, starting on 27 March 2010.

The Liberal Democrats have launched a petition against the closures, saying that they will affect residents travelling into central London and will also have a detrimental effect on local traders in Highgate High Street and Archway, who rely on shoppers travelling in on the tube.

Liberal Democrats on the Greater London Authority (GLA), concerned that the issue has turned into a fight between a Tory Mayor and a Labour Government, rather than focusing on the needs of Londoners, have launched a five-point plan to ensure a better upgrade of the Northern Line, without the mass suspensions currently planned.

Cllr Martin Newton, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson, comments:

“Local residents rely on the Northern line to get around at weekends. Twenty months of suspensions just increases the misery faced by travellers on the ‘Misery Line’.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, adds:

“We all want a better Northern Line, but not when local residents have to put up with 82 weeks of weekend closures.

“Many local traders in Highgate and Archway rely on trade coming from tube users. It is unfair for these businesses, already feeling the pinch due to the economic situation, to bear the brunt of these closures.

“I hope that local residents and traders alike will support our fight against the closures and the Liberal Democrats’ five point plan to a smoother upgrade of the Northern Line.”

Whittington A&E – Story 9

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Martin’s story:

Several years ago we found my Mother, then in her mid-eighties, collapsed in the bath and covered in blood: somehow she had burst a varicose vein in her leg and was bleeding badly. It was breakfast time on Christmas Day. An ambulance was with us within a very few minutes, and I went with her to a sepulchral A&E. Despite the very skeletal staffing, she was immediately assessed and her wound dressed, she was put on a drip, reassured and comforted. Even though it was Christmas Day a consultant examined her, chatted with her, swapped tales of varicose veins, urged her to have them operated on, and made an arrangement for her to attend the appropriate clinic early in the New Year. Anxious grandsons were able to pop into the hospital to keep tabs on their Granny’s progress. Within four hours she had revived enough for us to get her home in time for a postponed Christmas lunch before dozing the rest of the day away.

The professional efficiency of the A&E staff, and their kindness to a frail old lady, impressed us all very considerably. The fact that the Whittington is pretty near was most reassuring, since it meant that she was taken to A&E very quickly, that the family were able to keep a close eye on her progress, and that it was easy to get her back home. Having A&E facilities much further away, around the much-clogged North Circular or the far side of Hampstead Heath, would have made an event like my Mother’s accident much more difficult to handle – and the additional journey time would certainly have caused an even greater loss of blood (and thus made her condition harder and more expensive to treat).