Another worrying headline:Crisis A&E tells 999 crews: Ring first or we won't let you in!Paramedics have been told to ring ahead before taking patients to an A&E struggling to cope after the closure of departments at 2 nearby hospitals.In the latest blow for health bosses who claimed their massive hospital reorganisation programme would improve care, the London Ambulance Service has put out the warning over patients being taken to Northwick Park Hospital.Paramedics would usually take patients to the nearest department, but this is no longer necessarily the case at Northwick Park.A spokesman for London Ambulance Service confirmed the 'call ahead' arrangement was now in place, saying 'We are working with the hospital, so before crews go directly to Northwick Park, they need to call our control room. They are then advised if ths is appropriate'It is the only London hospital with such an arrangement.Crews had to wait because there was either no room in A&E to take the patients, or there were no staff free to care for them.The waiting not only affects patients already in ambulances, but also ties up crews urgently needed elsewhere.In September, ambulances had to wait outside Northwick Park for more than an hour on 179 occasions. Of those 30 patients had to wait more than an hour.Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt said his worst fears about the effects of closing local A&E's were coming true. Immediate action has to e taken to resolve this as we are talking about life-and-death emergency treatment. Our residents deserve the best healthcare and we need to understand why the reconfiguration of local health services has been botched so badly.The Mail on Sunday has campaigned for two years to keep A&E's open nationwide, pointing out the problems the health bosses frequently gloss over. Meanwhile, more than 20 health chiefs from West London have just flown to the United States on a week long 'fact-finding' missiob - at a cost of more than £5,000 a head. The tax payer finded trip to New York, Boston, Richmmond and Baltimore began yesterday, with 22 officials due to visit 'innovative organisations renowned for excellent community care and partnership models, according to an official briefing.Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith, said. 'People will see it an extraordinary that during an A&E crisis senior management are jetting off on a jolly.
Jean F Fernandez ● 4082d