St Helier closures would hit response times (From Sutton Guardian)
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St Helier A&E and maternity closures would increase emergency response times
9:07am Thursday 10th May 2012 in Save St Helier By Matt Watts
St Helier A&E and maternity closures would mean increased emergency response times
The closure of St Helier Hospital's accident and emergency departments would mean increased emergency response times to other hospitals.
Yesterday an NHS review panel recommended St Helier Hospital loses the two frontline departments.
A panel of 60 representatives made up from SW London hospital trusts, local authority members and community representatives recommended St Helier lose its frontline services over Croydon University and Kingston hospital.
They scored each hospital as part of the Better Service, Better Value healthcare review, which announced two months ago one of the hospitals faced the cuts.
According to statistics that formed part of the review, 218,971 people would be affected by the proposed closure of the two frontline departments.
Patients who would have used St Helier's A&E or maternity services would face up to six minutes further "blue light" emergency travel time in an ambulance to a different hospital.
The predicted average increase in emergency travel time would be 3.3 minutes.
People who would normally drive to St Helier to use the services would face up to 12.4 minutes extra travel time, while people using public transport face a longer journey of up to 27 minutes.
MP for Carshalton and Wallington, Tom Brake, said: "The demand for A&E has been increasing in recent years and there is a spurt in the number of births locally.
"These factors point to the need to maintain our A&E and maternity."
It is expected that St Helier hospital will now host a new planned surgery centre and a "range of other services".
The recommendation will be ratified by various boards before a three month public consultation begins and a final decision is taken by the NHS.
During that time this newspaper will fight to have the recommendation thrown out.
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Comments(21)
pmiddleton
says...
10:42am Thu 10 May 12
I’m employed by the council and have been involved in the St Helier work for some time. I'd like to reassure you that Sutton Council was fully represented at the panel and a number of colleagues have been talking to BSBV on behalf of local people from the start. I hope this helps.
Paul
David7
says...
11:07am Thu 10 May 12
hardly explains this kind of report.
http://www.mirror.co
.uk/news/uk-news/fam
ily-doctors-could-cl
ose-down-677341
Edwy82
says...
1:30pm Thu 10 May 12
tegsie
says...
4:35pm Thu 10 May 12
David7
says...
4:59pm Thu 10 May 12
Dr H Freeman – a Tooting-based GP.
Dr D Finch – prior to working for BSBV was medical Director at NHS Wandsworth, near St George’s.
Mr M Bailey – surgeon based at St George’s Tooting.
Also, Cameron and Clegg made pre-election promises to save Kingston Hospital. Were they lying?
So what chance did St Helier ever have in the ‘independent’ process?
And can we please be told who LB Sutton’s representatives were on the panel, and how they voted?
Michael Pantlin
says...
5:28pm Thu 10 May 12
exa_cordon
says...
8:51pm Thu 10 May 12
Liz2076
says...
12:27am Fri 11 May 12
When was this research carried out. The middle of the night?
Tell that to the mother who has given up waiting for an ambalance as there numbers have been cut, and is now stuck in the traffic trying to get to St Georges..
Michael Pantlin
says...
8:19am Fri 11 May 12
David7
says...
9:14am Fri 11 May 12
adrianshort
says...
9:33am Fri 11 May 12
shezzler
says...
12:59pm Fri 11 May 12
Michael Pantlin
says...
1:38pm Fri 11 May 12
adrianshort wrote:Yes ambulances will need Captn Kirk's Warpdrive as a minimum to get to St. George's in 12 minutes. Think of all the extra wailing sirens and blue lights travelling through Mitcham and South Wimbledon to add to the crush and queue for trolleys at the surrounding hospitals. How will fewer A&Es work when one is closed for maintenance, fire, flood, terrorist alert, infectious disease? And how will major incidents eg terrorist attacks, plane and railway accidents be processed with fewer A&E's and those there are being permanently stretched.
It's like a sci-fi version of the NHS that only works if you can teleport.
Michael Pantlin
says...
1:43pm Fri 11 May 12
Liz2076 wrote:In the big freeze up about 18 months ago it was taking a 999 ambulance several hours just to get from Carshalton Beeches to St. Helier A&E. Blue lights and sirens don't have any effect on immobile traffic, snow and ice.
Are we to believe that this 12.4 minutes extra travel time is based at peak rush hours.
When was this research carried out. The middle of the night?
Tell that to the mother who has given up waiting for an ambalance as there numbers have been cut, and is now stuck in the traffic trying to get to St Georges..
Michael Pantlin
says...
1:48pm Fri 11 May 12
David7 wrote:The multi-pronged attack on St. Helier District General Hospital smacks of conspiracy rather than kockup. I reckon there is a Sir Humprey deep in the bowels of Whitehall steering it all for the Coalition. A few years back all the NHS PR spin was about Patients First. Now it's "Clinically Led" as though Doctors First but really I suspect Money and Private Health Care Companies and Private Practice First.
Funny that Michael – ‘Better Care Closer to Home ’ (BCCTH) was dumped in favour of ‘Better Care Better Value’ (BCBV) – I wonder why? Did they know something we didn’t?
Michael Pantlin
says...
1:53pm Fri 11 May 12
David7 wrote:The truth may eventually come out but not until the current politicians careers meet their inevitibly tearful end and they make a few bob by writing their memoires or if a disgruntled manager takes it to the media.
Here’s some data on the major decision makers:
Dr H Freeman – a Tooting-based GP.
Dr D Finch – prior to working for BSBV was medical Director at NHS Wandsworth, near St George’s.
Mr M Bailey – surgeon based at St George’s Tooting.
Also, Cameron and Clegg made pre-election promises to save Kingston Hospital. Were they lying?
So what chance did St Helier ever have in the ‘independent’ process?
And can we please be told who LB Sutton’s representatives were on the panel, and how they voted?
Michael Pantlin
says...
2:07pm Fri 11 May 12
Giles C
says...
5:13pm Fri 11 May 12
Bit odd that one.
shezzler
says...
6:05pm Fri 11 May 12
Michael Pantlin
says...
12:18pm Sun 13 May 12
David7 says...
10:04am Thu 10 May 12
The real question you need to be asking is did Sutton Council take full advantage of its available representation in the review? I think you’ll find the answer is that it did not. Oh dear. Bit late to bleat about it then, eh?