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Ealing 500 residents NHS managers 0

Very many thanks for the coverage of the Local Health Services Meetingat the Town Hall on Thursday. On a cold winter's night the Victoria Hall was filled with 500 residents....one for every hospital bed to be lost in this area in the proposals being discussed. That must send a loud political message to the government that cutting our local health provision is very unpopular and unhealthy if not suicidal. I have to assume that representatives of the NHS/Ealing CCG/ Shaping a Healthier Future/STP (Sustainability and Transformation Plans) were invited to this meeting but were notable by their absence. Yes these are poor managers hiding when the going gets tough and manning the lifeboats before the ship hits the iceberg.

Arthur Breens ● 3331d11 Comments

Isn't the problem with these PFI contracts that they look bad value in the context of very low interest rates and therefore would be very expensive to buy back now but if interest rates rose the opportunity would be there to take them back at lower prices if that was deemed to be good value?Whatever you think of PFI - a lot of new NHS facilities probably wouldn't exist without them.

Andy Jones ● 3306d

Arthur, I totally agree, their email covered other areas I queried on the NHS, I can copy and paste it here is you are interested.A friend who spent 9 years working in the NHS said their response is absolutely meaningless and full of waffle!

Jean F Fernandez ● 3317d

Jean,"Yes they note your concerns about the closure of local A&E services."    What does that mean?"growing gaps in NHS finances"  equals CUTSThen we see whole jumble of people who have constructed these plans:-1)local health leaders2)health and care leaders in conjunction with local people3)neighbouring NHS providers, commissioners and other health and care services4)people and organisationsAll of this may be part truth but most of the initial work to restructure our services was the work of a management consultant. That company focussed on selling the most profitable sites Charing Cross and Ealing for housing.Sorry about your letter from them Jean...tain't worth the paper its written on.

Arthur Breens ● 3317d

This is part of an email received today after I wrote to the NHS in February where I mentioned my concern regarding the closures of A&E services in West London.I note your concerns about the closure of local A&E services.  The Government needs an NHS ready for the future.  To do this, local service leaders in every part of England are working together for the first time on shared sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) to transform health and care in the communities they serve, and to agree how to spend increasing investment in the NHS. The plans that health and care leaders produce in conjunction with local people will ultimately help to deliver the NHS’s action plan, the Five Year Forward View, and close the growing gaps in the quality of health care and NHS finances in each area. Neighbouring NHS providers, commissioners, and other health and care services have collaborated to form 44 ‘footprints’, geographic areas in which people and organisations are working together to develop plans to improve the way that health and care is planned and delivered in a more person-centred and coordinated way for local people. The 44 local areas have now published their STPs, following submission of the plans to NHS England for consideration and the North West London STP is available, at: https://www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk/news/2016/11/08/nw-london-october-stp-submission-published

Jean F Fernandez ● 3318d

The Hospital PFIs were sold on .(LBE street lighting PFI was sold on from EDF to SSE). They were fixed at what seems now as fabulous interest rates. However and I am not excusing Tory or Labour governments both love PFIs, they did contain an element to be paid as tax. Trouble is they are now owned by hedge funds and that have been hosted by companies in off-shore tax havens. So no tax to HM treasury. If I were in charge I would employ the best brains to buy them up at prices based on current low interest rates. Then we would get the steering wheel back so to speak.

Arthur Breens ● 3318d

I know Arthur. This plan is based on plugging the PFI hole rather than any excellence. Charing Cross and Ealing Site are worth a lot of money for development but would leave a massive area with no coverage. The plan is obvious and totally dishonest. The trouble with our Labour politicians is that they wont highlight this argument because Brown and Blair were in love with PFI. The NHS does not need more money, it just needs to give a lot less to investment bankers!!

Peter Chadburn ● 3318d

It is also important to remember that the downsizing of Ealing and Charing Cross Hospitals includes removing ALL the surgical operating capability and ALL Intensive Care beds. Hence rather than local "hospitals" they will be local polyclinics! We all appreciate that much care can happen in the community but surgical operations? I don't think so! Already there are huge waits for operations. Imagine what it will be like when two nearby hospitals cease performing operations!

Arthur Breens ● 3318d

There are newer things that are happening that are helping but in a sense these newer services need to be proven and running efficiently before other changes are made. My girlfriend recently had the "hospital at home" service from ealing hospital and it meant that blood was taken and her condition monitored whilst at home and taking strong antibiotics and other medication. I was impressed and it acts as a good method of fixing people without using the hospital beds. however she had to go to the hospital for an x-ray. so we still need the hospital.

Peter Chadburn ● 3318d

Mark,Thank you for this. My opinion is that the local provision is so stretched that it might have difficulty handling a pile-up on the M40 let alone a runway overshoot. Just prior to Christmas I think that there were no intensive care beds in London. An unprecedented situation. The administrators keep telling us that all the problems can be solved in the community. I'm trying to tell Ealing, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone!"

Arthur Breens ● 3321d

Arthur is quite right to highlight the level of opposition to these cuts, and like Urs, I dread the consequences of them.Sadly, I dont think local NHS Managers can respond or act to mitigate their effects - these cuts are part of a strategy by the Conservative Govt to under-fund and eventually privatise the NHS.Local feeling on the issue is clear. Local people oppose these cuts.Thanks to "Ealing Today" for its continued coverage of developments.Let's all hope it doesnt take a tragedy to expose the damage these cuts are doing.(I find it extremely worrying that our hospitals are the most local to a major international airport).

Mark Walker ● 3321d

Yes, I posted the below on the Acton site last night. I find it really hard to believe that nobody has replied to you - they are trying to destroy proper health provision in NW London and, ultimately the NHS. Almost 8,000 jobs lost, no A&E for two boroughs with a population of 750,000 and the remaining two hospitals becoming kind of health centres. 600 hospital beds lost when NW London is at 98 to 99 capacity already - never mind the ageing population and extra flats built all over the place... This is sheer horror!--------------------------------------------Ealing and Hammersmith Councils are refusing to sign the long term plan (STP) for NW London that only has one aim - reduce spending further. It was shocking to hear that Britain has one of the lowest GDP spending for health in Europe currently at 7.8% (hope remember this right, around this mark anyway), but they are trying to reduce this further to just over 6% - that's with an ageing population that needs more and more hospital care... Madness!No doubt, central government has to pay extra for social care - it is a national and not a local issue that our population is getting older, with money raised through income tax rather than council tax. Currently, they - through NHS England - are trying to hold local councils at ransom - if you sign up to our mad plans, you are possibly getting a little extra (sum not disclosed), but it's guaranteed not to work because it will never be enough for all the extra care that is expected from councils...Is there anything you can do? Yes, you can tell your GP to refuse to sign up to any deals the local CCG wants them to sign - the more GPs refuse to sign, the less power NHS England has...And you can also join the big national demo (it is not just Ealing though we are extremely badly hit) - 4th March. If you want to be part of the Ealing lot, you meet at EB station at 11 am. Otherwise, it's Tavistock Square at noon for a march to Parliament. It's gonna be big if you get your bum off the sofa ;)Yes, you are reading this and agree something needs to get done - it doesn't happen until YOU get active and join us - children and all! After all, it's their future!

Urs Esser ● 3330d