Tag Archives: nhs

Whittington A & E under threat

Posted on by

I will literally fight them tooth and nail if they try and close or even reduce our emergency A & E services at the Whittington – which they (NHS London and the Government) clearly wish to do.

If you read the four options on the first letter sent out by Rachel Tyndall, CEO for North London Central NHS which was sent to all relevant  hospital CEOs and Medical Directors but not dated, you can see how stark and clear the message is about the future of A & E at the Whittington:

From the letter:

This provided 4 possible models for North Central London, namely:

 a)      Barnet and North Middlesex designated Major Acutes, Royal Free designated a major acute with specialist services, UCLH designated a specialist provider, Whittington designated a local hospital but with no emergency take and Chase Farm congruent with the BEH clinical strategy

 b)      Barnet and North Middlesex designated Major Acutes, UCLH designated a major acute with specialist services, Royal Free designated a specialist provider, Whittington designated a local hospital but with no emergency take and Chase Farm congruent with the BEH clinical strategy

 c)       designated a Major Acute, UCLH and Royal Free designated major acutes with specialist services, North  designated a local hospital with an A&E and medical take, Whittington designated a local hospital but with no emergency take and Chase Farm congruent with the BEH clinical strategy

 d)      North Middlesex designated a Major Acute, UCLH and Royal Free designated major acutes with specialist services, Barnet designated a local hospital with an A&E and medical take, Whittington designated a local hospital but with no emergency take and Chase Farm congruent with the BEH clinical strategy

As you can see – all four options kill off A & E at the Whittington. The position put out by Rachel Tyndall in her letter was crystal clear – that the Whittington would loose its A&E, and therefore its ITU, and acute medical and surgical services.

This position now, rather abruptly, appears to have changed with a hasty and strange press statement put out on 13th November to the effect that the letter had “led to some confusion”. No it hadn’t – it was perfectly clear – no emergency service at the Whittington. 

So – whilst they try and back-peddle to offset any mounting campaign to save our vital A & E at the Whittington – let me just make quite clear that I do not trust the Trust. They want to close our A &E. They don’t appear to understand that the 240 people a day who attend A & E are in great need and moreover could not make it to the Royal Free where the proposed services would have gone. The transport and access to the Royal Free for local people here in the West of Haringey is too dreadful for words. Moreover – local people want, need, deserve and have paid for an A & E here at the Whittington.

When will this dreadful Government and these dreadful, NHS beaurocrats, who seem only to rearrange and restructure, begin to understand what people want and need from their local health services.

Merging some services between the Whittington and the Royal Free is one thing – denying local people a local, 24 hour A & E and the services to go with it is another.

The consultation NHS North London claim to have done was a sham – a couple of weeks in August basically – hardly exhaustive given the dramatic nature of the proposed changes.

They may draw in their claws for now – but the letter makes quite clear where NHS and the Government want to go with their plans. No amount of weasel words will be able to deny their direction of travel.

The battle lines are drawn!

Local MP demands urgent meeting with hospital boss after worrying news of merger

Posted on by

Following the recent news of a potential merger between the Whittington and the Royal Free Hospital Trusts, Lynne Featherstone MP has today demanded an urgent meeting with the Whittington Chief Executive to ensure local residents’ concerns are taken on board.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I have today demanded an urgent meeting with the Whittington Chief Executive, to make sure local residents’ needs and concerns are at the heart of any debate about merging these two hospitals.

“Many local residents already have to travel long distances to get to their nearest hospital and I want to make it clear to the hospital bosses, that a further deterioration in service is unacceptable.”

Liberal Democrat Councillor David Winskill, Member of the Haringey’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, adds:

“For some time now, there has been a lot of concern about what the Darzi plans for London’s health services will actually mean.”

“Although there are some very good aspects, it seems that the full implications for our network of general hospitals have just not been thought through. This is a matter I will be pursuing through Scrutiny.”

Local MP in special meeting with prevention team after worrying rates of teenage pregnancy revealed

Posted on by

Following a recent report showing that Haringey has the fourth highest teenage pregnancy rate in London, Lynne Featherstone MP recently met up with the borough’s dedicated teenage pregnancy team, to find out what is being done to tackle the issue.

The Hornsey and Wood Green MP met representatives from Haringey Council and the local health service, to hear of various attempts to spread information and target prevention work with groups of particularly vulnerable teenagers. The team is working closely with local schools, to improve sex and relationship education and to help identify groups of young people at risk. The team also uses a special dedicated website, to help schools and parents learn how to reach out and talk to young people about their relationships and safe sex. There are also plans to set up special vending machines, to give young people across the borough access to contraceptives and Chlamydia testing kits, without having to approach an adult.

To check out the website go to www.ruthinking.co.uk

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“It was extremely worrying to hear that Haringey has some of the capital’s highest teenage pregnancy rates, but having met with the borough’s dedicated team, I am glad to see that the issue is receiving special attention.

“This is a complex issue and there’s no one simple quick fix – but other London boroughs, like Hackney, have been successful in reducing rates.

“I have today seen some positive signs that Haringey is heading in a similar direction – I will continue checking up on developments, and go and see some of the projects aimed at getting similar results here – so watch this space.”

Lynne Featherstone has also recorded a film for YouTube on the topic:

Just a few things………..

Posted on by

Broke my toe on Thursday morning rushing out door to get to engagement (but did nothing about it except hobble and moan)so hobbled to British Association of Social Workers conference where they had invited me onto a panel to talk about my experiences during Baby P. What was lovely was the amount of social workers who came up to me and thanked me for what I said. I was really pleased – for during the whole Baby Peter tragedy I was very careful to refer to the need for proper support for social workers – and to point to what happened in the Victoria Climbie case. In that case the only person to take the blame was the social worker on the end of the food chain. It was the Labour leadership and chief officers and managers who all got away completely from any consequences – actually it was that that motivated me to speak out when Baby Peter died. I wasn’t going to see another tragedy blamed on the social workers.

But I think it was also what I was saying about the need for an open and transparent culture, about the job being about trusting social workers to use their instincts and critical faculties rather than ticking boxes – and outside of case load reduction – perhaps the main drum I bang is the way that the pendulum has swung far too far towards management holding sway regardless of professional and clinical opinion.

I hobble on to the Spectator Annual Awards where strangely Harriet Harman and Peter Mandelson won the main awards. Was it an ironic parting gift to those who would not be in power by the next time the awards come around?

After that, I gave up and came home and put ice packs on my foot and laid down for the evening. I managed to do my advice surgery this morning at Hornsey Library – but then decided I couldn’t go on. I had to reschedule my Big Lottery Tour this afternoon  (as I really can’t walk) so went to the Whittington and then came home. Hoping for tea and sympathy from my children…………………….

Local MP demands action on bus to Hornsey Central following disappointing meeting

Posted on by

Following a meeting with Transport for London (TfL) and the local health service to discuss better transport to the new Hornsey health centre, Lynne Featherstone MP has written to all involved parties, demanding they stop passing the buck and look seriously at how to improve transport to the Park Road site.

The intervention came following a recent meeting, where issues of poor communication and lack of responsibility from both TfL and the health service became evident. Despite a Liberal Democrat petition, a health service transport survey and the issue being raised in both public and private meetings, TfL appeared unaware of the new health centre’s planned range of services and wide catchments area.

The Hornsey and Wood Green MP has now written to TfL and the local health service, demanding they all take responsibility and ensure better communication so that the issue of improved transport to the site can finally be discussed in earnest.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I am astonished and frankly very angry that despite raising the issue of poor transport to the health centre on many occasions, the health trust hasn’t even bothered to make sure that TfL has all the facts and understands just how many people will be using this centre. That, if anything, is essential information when assessing the need for more buses!

“It’s so frustrating that no-one wants to accept responsibility- but the buck stops here. I’ve written to all responsible parties, and will be chasing them to make sure we get some real movement- because sadly for now the Hornsey hospital bus doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.”

This week's other bits…………

Posted on by

Liberal Democrat Opposition Day Debates:
The Liberal Democrat opposition day debates were both ones that Labour should have supported. Labour failed to do so on both votes.

The first was on Equitable Life – and I am sure that every MP in the House has had heartbreaking letters from people who have lost their life savings through Equitable Life and are fed up waiting for the always promised, never delivered compensation.

The second motion was asking Parliament to sign up to the 10:10 campaign. Lots of individual MPs (including me) and councils have already signed up to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% by the end of the year 2010. The motion was asking the House itself to sign up, all Government departments and Public Sector Bodies. Given the Labour Government (and the Minister) were so fulsome in their praise for the 10:10 campaign – I am still at a loss as to why they failed to support the motion. They refused to sign us up to the 10:10 campaign. Shame on them. Blimey – even the Tories supported this one.

Women’s Questions
I asked the Minister what the Government was doing about removing the barriers to employing women that had been highlighted in the Equality and Human Rights Commission statement that women’s maternity rights etc were putting employers off. The Minister said she didn’t accept that was the case!

Book on Baby Peter
Met with an author/film maker who is doing the background research on a potential book about Baby Peter. Having received literally thousands of emails during the height of the Baby Peter coverage from people all over the country – including many professionals from relevant fields – who all had such knowledge and contribution, I am very pleased that someone serious is going to do a serious book on this. Whilst Panorama and other documentaries have all tried very hard – it really is not possible to address the complexities of this subject in entertainment format – so am very happy to help.

Meeting with Peter Lewis, Director Children’s Services, Haringey
Following neatly on, had organised a meeting with Peter Lewis to touch base on progress in terms of child protection in Haringey. When I first met Peter after he was appointed following the furore over child protection in Haringey – he told me that it would take him three years to turn Haringey’s Children’s Services around. The first inspection of how he and the department were doing decided things were improving but not fast enough. I hadn’t seen him for about six months – and I thought that some of the measures that Peter has brought in subsequent to that inspection to provide rigour in supervising (human rigour not tick box rigour) sounded like they would be effective. I also thought that his action to address the issue of recruiting social workers to Haringey (much needed – as unfilled posts and many agency workers currently) by bringing in social workers from the States and recruiting from big equivalent cities like New York showed initiative.

On education I brought Peter up to date with the Liberal Democrat campaign for Fair Funding (as our children get £1000 less per head than kids in Hackney or Islington) because we pay inner London staff salaries (high) and only receive outer London per pupil funding (low). Given that Haringey schools showed up recently as having a very high level of deficits in their budgets (one of the worst in the country) not surprisingly given that £1000 differential – the pressure has to be kept up to make the Government give us our fair share.

Meeting with new CEO at Whittington Hospital
First meeting with the new CEO of Whittington, Rob Larkman. This was a basically get to know you type meeting, setting out from my point of view the various key interests I have on behalf of local people. It was also about the funding problems coming down the track at our health services, the impact of the new Community Health Centre at the Hornsey Hospital site and in terms of the Whittington itself – my priority – which is making sure that patients are treated well – not just clinically – but as people.

The aspect which people raise with me about their hospital stays – when there are complaints – is always about how they were treated in human terms by the staff. Obviously – the vast majority of the staff are absolutely fabulous – and there are more people praising the Whittington and their treatment than are critical. But – those who do get badly handled – need their local hospital to take such issues really seriously. I have found that the Whittington has been very responsive in the past to any individual complaints I have taken to them – and now I want the new CEO to take over the last CEO’s promise to me – that patient treatment would be a priority.

I look forward to a good and constructive working relationship.

A double dose of interviews

Posted on by

Two interviews today! First up was by Yoosk – a site where you can ask MPs questions – any questions you like. Usually I answer by email – but this time they came to film the answers to six new questions. Yoosk does more than just post questions and answers – people get to rate your answers for things like honesty, clarity and so on

Second interview was with Victoria Hollingsworth – both to for her thesis but probably also for Woman’s Hour or such – about the provision of mental health services for young people. There is much to be said – but the key issue is there is a black hole that young people fall into between 18 and 25, when they are so very vulnerable – and provision and transition just stop. The Government keeps saying it is increasing this and providing that – but the facts on the ground don’t match the rhetoric. Anyway – hopefully it will air on the radio – as it is a really important issue and not one that gets nearly enough airtime.

Lynne Featherstone MP commenting on opening of Hornsey Neighbourhood Health Centre

Posted on by

Commenting on the grand opening of Hornsey Neighbourhood Health Centre, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“It’s been a long journey and a long campaign together with local people, but today we are finally standing here in this brilliant new facility for the west of the borough.

“This will bring wonderful health services to the community for many years to come, and is what local residents need and deserve. Hats off to all who made this come true- it was worth the wait.”

Our new community health centre gets its official opening

Posted on by

Hornsey HospitalSecond happy occasion of the day – the official opening of Hornsey Central Community Health Centre!

Given it must be about ten years since the local LibDems joined local residents campaigning against the closure of the old hospital – and campaigned continually for a new health facility on this site – today was a very special and happy day.

The new centre is fantastic – and whilst there are still issues about transport to and from – this is the state of the art sort of community health facility that we so badly need in the west of the borough.

Health Link – which works to link the health services in the borough and the community and give a proper voice to local people in all of this – had asked local children to design posters for the opening about what the new health centre represented to them. The posters were fantastic – and I happily had the best job of the day giving out the prizes. The three winning designs will be exhibited at the new centre.

So – congratulations to everyone who over the years has worked, fought, campaigned and lobbied for this to happen. And a special word of thanks to Richard Sumray – chair of the local Primary Care Trust (PCT). Despite all the obstacles and years of frustration – Richard promised me a long time ago that he was absolutely committed to seeing through onto this old hospital site the new health facility we needed. I believed him then – and he has been true to his word – down the years.

Today – is just the beginning!

Hornsey Hospital bus campaign – new success

Posted on by

Travelling to the new Hornsey Hospital may soon become easier for disabled and elderly residents, after Transport for London last week agreed that they would consider changes to a ‘problem’ bus stop.

It follows a campaign by local Liberal Democrats to move the first stop on the W7 and 144 routes from Muswell Hill, due to the current stop being on a very steep slope and hard for disabled and elderly residents to reach.

The success is part of a wider Liberal Democrat campaign to improve the transport links to the Hornsey Hospital.

Local Liberal Democrats are now encouraging residents to contact Lynne Featherstone MP about the proposal, before she responds to a TFL consultation on the issue. Residents can either email Ms Featherstone on lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org or call the office on 020 8340 5459, before October 13th 2009.

Cllr Martin Newton, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson, comments:

“I am very glad that Transport for London has now decided to look into providing a first stop for the W7 and 144 on Muswell Hill roundabout. Local residents with buggies and disabled and elderly people find it hard to access the bus stop on the steep hill.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“This is a great success for our campaign to get more buses and transport for residents to Hornsey Hospital. I’m delighted that Transport for London are looking into moving the bus stop, and I hope many local residents will take the time to contact me in support of the move.”