Tuesday, October 16, 2007
NHS consultation delayed - yet again
SOME GOOD NEWS - SOME CONCERNS
After recent announcements, the uncertainty over the future of our local health services (across the 4 boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering, Barking & Dagenham) will continue, with any prospect of a consultation now receding probably well into the New Year.
After his review, Professor Sir George Alberti has concluded that "Option 4" would be the best way forward for N.E.London. This would retain WHIPPS CROSS as a District General Hospital with some reduced functions. However, King George's at Goodmayes would cease to be a District General Hospital and become what is described as a "local hospital."
Sir George concludes that there is still more work to be done, before there can be any question of consultation.
He says: "Maintaining safe high-quality services on three hospital sites is not possible." Cllr.John Beanse, who is a member of the cross-borough Scrunitny group said: "The panel will be very keen to question this and ask "WHY NOT?!" While the implications for WHIPPS CROSS are to an important extent gratifying, but only as far as they go, the future of health services in Redbridge will be a major concern in that borough. The battle for our local health services goes on."
Cllr.John Beanse also drew attention to some apparently damning judgements:
1. Sir George says: "What we did not find was the leadership or the detailed planning that would give me confidence that the NHS was ready to set out on a journey involving major service change. That needs to be put right."
2. NHS London described the report as "a wake-up call to the NHS in outer north-east London." They also say that there needs to be "greater clinical and managerial leadership from within local NHS organisations and much more detailed planning around implementation."
3. The NELMHT Business Strategy actually includes the very striking and disturbing sentence: "The level of primary care is generally poor in these four PCTs." [NELMHT = North East London Mental Health Trust; PCT = Primary Care Trust]
Cllr.John Beanse, who is Vice-Chair of Health Scrutiny in Waltham Forest said: "There is a democratic deficit in the way our health services are run. Too often Health services managers seem to resent criticism from "outsiders" and there is insufficient internal scrutiny of a critical nature. These factors have contributed in my view to the situation we are now in."
After recent announcements, the uncertainty over the future of our local health services (across the 4 boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering, Barking & Dagenham) will continue, with any prospect of a consultation now receding probably well into the New Year.
After his review, Professor Sir George Alberti has concluded that "Option 4" would be the best way forward for N.E.London. This would retain WHIPPS CROSS as a District General Hospital with some reduced functions. However, King George's at Goodmayes would cease to be a District General Hospital and become what is described as a "local hospital."
Sir George concludes that there is still more work to be done, before there can be any question of consultation.
He says: "Maintaining safe high-quality services on three hospital sites is not possible." Cllr.John Beanse, who is a member of the cross-borough Scrunitny group said: "The panel will be very keen to question this and ask "WHY NOT?!" While the implications for WHIPPS CROSS are to an important extent gratifying, but only as far as they go, the future of health services in Redbridge will be a major concern in that borough. The battle for our local health services goes on."
Cllr.John Beanse also drew attention to some apparently damning judgements:
1. Sir George says: "What we did not find was the leadership or the detailed planning that would give me confidence that the NHS was ready to set out on a journey involving major service change. That needs to be put right."
2. NHS London described the report as "a wake-up call to the NHS in outer north-east London." They also say that there needs to be "greater clinical and managerial leadership from within local NHS organisations and much more detailed planning around implementation."
3. The NELMHT Business Strategy actually includes the very striking and disturbing sentence: "The level of primary care is generally poor in these four PCTs." [NELMHT = North East London Mental Health Trust; PCT = Primary Care Trust]
Cllr.John Beanse, who is Vice-Chair of Health Scrutiny in Waltham Forest said: "There is a democratic deficit in the way our health services are run. Too often Health services managers seem to resent criticism from "outsiders" and there is insufficient internal scrutiny of a critical nature. These factors have contributed in my view to the situation we are now in."
# posted by John Beanse @ 8:28 AM 
