THE LATEST NEWS THAT AFFECTS OUR LIVES
** LATEST NEWS FROM NATIONAL PRESS REGARDING HEMEL HEMPSTEAD GENERAL HOSPITAL ** - Click on the articles below for full stories from the publisher...
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21st April 2009 - The media back our campaign for a full review of the failing new Urgent care centre...
Hemel Today:
Campaigners are demanding a review of Hemel Hempstead's urgent care centre because they are receiving so many complaints.
Dacorum Hospital Action Group says its dossier of patient experiences show services to be 'incoherent and confused'.
Member Edie Glatter says senior managers need to urgently review the operation of the urgent care centre, which replaced full A&E ADVERTISEMENTin March.
"The stories show a fragmented service at Hemel which is incoherent and confused," she said.
"There seem to be no clear lines of responsibility and it would appear that we are not getting the service or standard of service we were led to expect.
"We need senior managers, people at the top, to get out of their offices and come down to Hemel and have a look at the services and knock them into shape."
DHAG has identified problems with drug dispensing, the stroke unit, and the general quality of care.
In a statement the hospital trust said: "We continually review our services to ensure that we are able to deliver the best possible care for our patients.
"The services at Hemel Hempstead Hospital are working very well and therefore we have no plans at this time to undertake a major review."
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20th April 2009 - Doctors Surgery to take over part of the Hospital site, reducing hospital space further...
St Albans Review:
A new GP service offering appointments up to 8pm and at weekends will be serving St Albans people in little over a month.
The West Hertfordshire Primary care Trust has signed a five-year deal with Herts Urgent Care, a non-profit-making enterprise run by local GPs and patient representatives which currently provides out-of-hours GP and emergency dental services to the whole county.
The new GP-led health centre is set to open its doors at Hemel Hempstead Hospital on June 1 offering bookable appointments and a walk-in service , 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.
Patients can also switch from their current surgeries to register with the centre if they like.
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14th April 2009 - So-called Urgent "Care" Centre fails Stroke victim...
Save Hemel:
Last week a lady was taken to Hemel Hempsteads new Urgent Care Centre when she discovered she had suffered a stroke, numbing one side of her body. Instead of being seen in the recently closed Stroke Unit at Hemel, she was seen by a member of staff that wasn't a qualified stroke specialist.
After explaining her condition to the member of staff, she was given painkillers and was then sent home, where she went on to suffer an avoidable full stroke. She is now in hospital over at Watford.
Friends are furious as public anger mounts over the total devistation of Hospital services, some fearing that Hemel is to become the next Staffordshire Hospital awarded for meeting guidelines but grossly failing patients and staff.
One friend of the victim said "This is absolutely unbelivable. They couldn't care less! She was full of life, then when this happened and they could have done something in Hemel before this chaos was imposed upon us, they simply failed her which directly allowed her to suffer a full stroke."
Dacorum Hospital Action Group are compiling a list of peoples experiences - and need your stories (good or bad...) to take forward in an ongoing case.
CLICK TO SHARE YOUR STORIES...
7th April 2009 - 19 hours on a trolley in new admissions unit, claims mum
Hemel Today:
A woman claims her daughter spent 19 hours on a trolley with no pillow in the new admissions unit at Watford General Hospital.
Wendy Brinkworth took her 29-year-old daughter - who has problems with her thyroid - to the urgent care centre in Hemel Hempstead after she collapsed.
She was checked and found to have suffered a cardiac arrest so she was taken by ambulance to the acute admissions unit at Watford last Monday. (March 30)
Mrs Brinkworth, of Woodview in Gadebridge, says her daughter then stayed on the trolley from 1pm to 7.30am the next day until a bed on a ward was found.
She is now on medication while doctors decide the next step.
"Physically they can't cope," Mrs Brinkworth said.
She said on one occasion it took more than an hour during the rush hour to visit her daughter.
"They should never have closed so much of the hospital in Hemel, especially when we have all these houses being built," she said.
Meanwhile pensioner Dennis Graham, of Gadebridge Road in Hemel Hempstead, has been told he must find his own way to Watford for his prostate operation on April 15 at 7am.
The 73 year old claims he asked for transport from his home but was told he was not eligible.
"I have limited mobility. I don't have a car," he said.
"How can I get from my address to Watford hospital at seven o'clock in the morning?"
Campaigners are compiling a dossier of people's experiences since the closure of A&E and acute services in Hemel Hempstead in March.
Dacorum Hospital Action Group (DHAG) will be presenting its findings to West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust and healthcare watchdogs.
Member Edie Glatter said: "There are all sorts of issues around transport and big issues around capacity."
In a statement the trust said: "Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot discuss individual cases, but if a formal complaint is made it will be thoroughly investigated by the trust.
"The new acute admissions unit (AAU) at Watford General Hospital was successfully opened on March 9 and is working extremely well.
"The urgent care centre at Hemel Hempstead Hospital is also performing well and meeting targets.
"At Watford General Hospital we have increased patient and disabled car parking spaces, and have made additional disabled car parking outside the AAU.
"If your reader would like to discuss any issues they should contact the complaints department on 01923 217866."
To tell DHAG your story contact Mrs Glatter on 01442 254447 or click on Have your say at the top of this page...
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6th April 2009 - Hemel Town chairman suffers stroke
Hemel Today:
Club chairman Dave Boggins went to Hemel Hempstead Town's home game with Yate Town last Saturday just hours after suffering a stroke.
"I had it before the football but didn't realise what was happening," said the Irishman.
"I went to the hospital, they took my blood pressure and temperature and things like that, and then I left and went to the football."
Boggins decided to go to his doctor on Monday as he still felt unwell, and they sent him to Watford General Hospital, where he remained until Friday.
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5th April 2009 - WE WANT YOUR STORIES
SAVE HEMEL HOSPITAL:
We are collecting stories of your experiences, good or BAD. Please click here and submit your experience to us now.
Is what the Hospital Trust saying true? Are you being cared for? If you live in Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamstead or other areas of Dacorum, Was it easier going to Watford A&E instead of Hemel? Do YOU feel safe? Do you have confidence in the changes?
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4th April 2009 - Hospitals granted foundation status despite a plethora of failings
The Telegraph:
Ministers promised that only the best hospitals would be given the freedom to run their own affairs, including setting salary levels which have brought huge pay boosts for senior managers.
Yet investigations by this newspaper show that 22 hospital trusts in the past three years have been given the coveted status despite a range of serious failings including high rates of superbugs, delays treating cancer and heart attack victims, long waits in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments and lack of proper care for the elderly and the mentally ill.
When Labour introduced foundation trusts, then-health secretary Alan Milburn said that winning the status would be a challenging process "even for the best performing hospitals" who would have to demonstrate high standards of care.
Those awarded the status include Mid Staffordshire Foundation trust, which runs Stafford Hospital, where hundreds of people died amid conditions which left dehydrated patients forced to drink out of flower vases while others were left lying in soiled linen.
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3rd April 2009 - So-Called NHS Troubleshooter Jan Filochowski shoots again at our dismembered Hospital
SAVE HEMEL HOSPITAL :
The trust, headed up by Jan Filochowski has dramatically closed Hospital services, chained doors and boarded up windows in a move condemned by officials and local people.
WHHT's web site proudly hosts the statement.. "From Wednesday 11 March 2009, the A&E service at Hemel Hempstead General Hospital will close and its services will transfer to the new improved emergency department at Watford General Hospital.
" - Click to view the full statement.
This leaves Hemel Hempstead with NO A&E facilities, NO maternity facilities, NO operating theatres, NO emergency childrens A&E services, NO Stroke unit... the list of destruction goes on...
A local campaigner condemned the West Herts Hospital Trust and claimed they were 'asset stripping' services that belonged to local people. He went on to say that people were voting no confidence in Jan Filochowski, Tom Hanahoe and the rest of the West Herts Hospital Trust board and people were calling for their immediate resignation.
A member of the public was told that during a recent 'publicity' event hosted by the WHHT, a 'spokesman' incorrectly advised that services in Watford were open and then went on to say that some of it was open but not all of it when they were questioned about excessive delays in treating a family member. The patient had to drive to Watford Hospital and was blocked from entry by thousands of football fans leaving the grounds after a match at Watford FC.
When he finally arrived, he was told that Watford Hospital had ran out of beds. He sat in the cramped A&E waiting room for hours whilst suffering in pain with an appendicitus. When asked why members of Watford Hospital staff had claimed that things arn't working and suggested that the patient was lucky to eventually get a bed, the rep simply went on to say how services were improving.
If this is improvement, we don't want it... we want a Hospital service that works, that is locally accessible. WHHT seem incapable of providing this when facilities had previously existed prior to their 'schemes' to 'improve'[SIC} services
2nd April 2009 - NHS Spends on FAST Stroke campaign, but closes Hemel's Stroke unit, forcing people on much longer jorneys to Watford, putting lives at risk!
SAVE HEMEL HOSPITAL:
Whilst weilding the sword of closure across our Hospital, in their own words, the trust are saying
"Every five minutes someone in the UK suffers a potentially deadly stroke. That's more than 100,000 people every year, 1,000 of which are under 30 years old.
It's an undeniably gloomy picture but it doesn't have to be this way. The quicker a stroke is spotted and treated by specialists, the better the chance of survival and recovery.
"
By their own admission, the longer it takes to treat someone, the less the chance of survival and recovery - THE PEOPLE OF DACORUM DEMANDS THE RETURN OF THE STROKE UNIT TO HEMEL HEMPSTEAD HOSPITAL NOW - OUR PEOPLE PAID FOR IT, IT IS OURS AND THE TRUST PUTTING OUR LIVES AT RISK...
26th March 2009 - A&E signs cause confusion
Hemel TODAY :
Confusion over health services in Hemel Hempstead has increased after a sign was unveiled advertising A&E.
Highways chiefs have installed the sign at J8 of the M1 for drivers entering the town as part of the motorway widening works.
It clearly depicts the logo for a hospital with an A&E department.
However, A&E closed in the town on March 11 and acute services have been shifted over to Watford General Hospital.
The town is left with an urgent care centre for minor injuries.
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18th March 2009 - SAVE HEMEL HOSPITAL fears of Staffordshire Hospital risks
The Telegraph:
SAVEHEMEL.com comment... The people are concerned over the the disaster that has progressively resulted in loss of lives at Staffordshire.
12th March 2009 - MP condemns closure of A&E
Politics :
Hemel Hempstead MP, Mike Penning has condemned the closure the A&E at Hemel hospital. The A&E Department closed at 11.59pm last night (11th March). All cases are now diverted to Watford.
Mike said:
“I am extremely disappointed that this has finally happened. The people of Hemel no longer have services they used to expect from their hospital. We are essentially left with an outpatients department and the new Urgent Care Centre.
“The people of Hemel have been very badly let down over this. All acute services - A&E, cardiac unit, stroke unit - are gone… and the promised new hospital at Watford looks further away than ever.
“I am very worried that be confusion, as people – not surprisingly – don’t know what the Urgent Care Centre can and cannot provide. The message needs to be got out that if someone has a heart attack, for example, don’t be tempted to rush them to Hemel hospital – call 999.”
The Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Theatre are due to close tomorrow (13th).
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12th March 2009 - A&E closes in Hemel
Watford Observer :
The accident and emergency department at Hemel Hempstead hospital closed last night.
Residents with a serious illness or injuries will now be diverted to the full casualty department in Watford.
The closure has been condemed by Kings Langley and Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning. ...
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11th March 2009 - MP Anne Main slams low food spend for sick hospital patients
St.Albans and Harpenden REVIEW :
LESS than £2 a day on food is being spent by hospitals to feed Hertfordshire's sick patients, the MP for St Albans has highlighted.
MP Anne Main said “worrying” Government figures show the hospitals are spending significantly less on meals for patients compared to other areas in the country.
The figures from the NHS Information Centre show that St Albans City Hospital is forking out among the lowest daily spend on food.
Mrs Main noted that this is even less that the Prison Service spends on its prisoners...
...Mrs Main said Watford General Hospital and Hemel Hempstead Hospital are also cutting short their daily spend on patients.
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11th March 2009 - A&E closes today
Hemel TODAY :
The A&E department in Hemel Hempstead will close today in a fundamental shift in the role of the hospital.
An urgent care centre (UCC) - staffed by GPs and highly-trained nurses - will take over emergency treatment in the town. (Wednesday, March 11)
The UCC will be open 24/7 and is expected to deal with 65 per cent of patients who would normally go to A&E.
People with serious illness or injuries will be transferred to the full casualty department in Watford.
In blue-light emergencies ambulance staff will decide whether to take patients to the UCC or A&E.
Health chiefs say it is safe to take children to the UCC, though if their condition is serious they should be taken to A&E.
The move comes despite fierce resistance to the loss of acute services from Hemel Hempstead, including a long campaign with countless petitions and pleas to government.
After A&E transfers to Watford the process of mothballing five key buildings on the Hemel Hempstead site is due to begin.
The services remaining in the town will be concentrated in the Verulam and Jubilee wings and the Queen Elizabeth block.
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10th March 2009 - A&E closes today
Hertfordshire Mercury :
A £100m plan to redevelop the Lister hospital site with a new multi-storey car park, expanded maternity services and consolidated emergency services has been submitted to Stevenage Council.
If the plans are given the green light, the work on the hospital will be finished by 2015.
The detailed plan will shortly be made available to the public to inspect.
Nick Carver, chief executive of East and North Herts NHS Trust that runs the hospital, said: "This is an exciting development as it sets out what's in store for everyone with an interest in the transformation of the Lister to become the major acute hospital for those living, working and visiting east and north Hertfordshire, as well as parts of Bedfordshire.
"The plan, which covers the expansion of our maternity services, the creation of a multi-storey car park, consolidated emergency services, including A&E, and the building of a new main south block, will see more than £100m being invested in upgraded and completely new facilities at the hospital.
"We expect work on some of these projects, including maternity services and the car park, to begin later this year. Subject to imminent agreement being reached with our private sector provider Clinicenta, building of our new surgicentre - which is covered by a separate planning approval received separately - could start within weeks. Between them, these three projects alone will begin transforming the Lister site.
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10th March 2009 - £100m Redevelopment of the Lister Hospital site...
Hertfordshire Mercury :
A £100m plan to redevelop the Lister hospital site with a new multi-storey car park, expanded maternity services and consolidated emergency services has been submitted to Stevenage Council.
If the plans are given the green light, the work on the hospital will be finished by 2015.
The detailed plan will shortly be made available to the public to inspect.
Nick Carver, chief executive of East and North Herts NHS Trust that runs the hospital, said: "This is an exciting development as it sets out what's in store for everyone with an interest in the transformation of the Lister to become the major acute hospital for those living, working and visiting east and north Hertfordshire, as well as parts of Bedfordshire.
"The plan, which covers the expansion of our maternity services, the creation of a multi-storey car park, consolidated emergency services, including A&E, and the building of a new main south block, will see more than £100m being invested in upgraded and completely new facilities at the hospital.
"We expect work on some of these projects, including maternity services and the car park, to begin later this year. Subject to imminent agreement being reached with our private sector provider Clinicenta, building of our new surgicentre - which is covered by a separate planning approval received separately - could start within weeks. Between them, these three projects alone will begin transforming the Lister site.
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9th March 2009 - A&E for St Albans moves from Hemel to Watford General Hospital
Herts Advertiser 24 :
ACCIDENT and emergency services at Hemel Hempstead Hospital will close on Wednesday and its services will transfer to Watford General.
The A&E department at Hemel Hempstead has served a large part of the St Albans district since the closure of casualty at City Hospital.
But it is now closing in its turn and the emergency department at Watford General Hospital with a new 120-bed Acute Admission Unit and an expanded Children's Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit will operate as the A&E department for West Herts.
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5th March 2009 - Staff protest at Watford General Hospital
Watford Observer :
Angry hospital workers held an impromptu protest today, to vent their fury at plans to force 250 people to park in Watford town centre.
More than 100 clerical and secretarial staff from Watford General Hospital waved placards and cheered when cars and vans blasted their horns, as they displayed their disgust at being told they have lost their parking permits on site.
The Watford Observer last month reported on plans to allow 250 workers to leave their cars at Charter Place car park, to create room for clinical staff moving to Watford from Hemel Hempstead Hospital under plans to centralise acute services.
Staff received an email last week asking for 250 volunteers to sacrifice their parking permits and take up the new spaces.
But when only seven offers were received, a second email was sent from the hospital's facilities department on Wednesday evening telling workers that the decision had been made for them, based on post code and bus routes.
Unhappy staff then organised today's protest outside the main entrance in Vicarage Road, where they received noisy support from passing motorists as they waved posters stating: “Give us back our parking permits.”
They raised concerns about safety walking home late at night, issues arising from taking children to and from school, and the cost of using local bus services. Workers also claimed they hadn't been consulted about the changes.
One staff member, who asked not to be named, said: “Everyone is extremely upset. Late at night and in winter, no-one will want to walk to Charter Place.”
Another said: “It's just awful. The morale is so bad here now. We all enjoy our work but we're being pushed and pushed to the extremes. We're being ground down and we're all here for the patients. The more we put up with the worse it gets.
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2nd March 2009 - Campaigners call on Gordon Brown to save hospital
Watford Observer :
More than 1,000 letters calling on the Prime Minister to step in and save Hemel Hempstead hospital were delivered to Downing Street on Wednesday.
Kings Langley’s MP Mike Penning led hospital campaigners to deliver the letters collected from special post boxes around the borough for the Big No campaign.
Mr Penning said the response to the campaign had been ‘fantastic’.
He said: “I call on the Prime Minister to read some of these letters to fully appreciate what the closure of our hospital will mean to local people. This is so much more than a petition - each person has had to take time to sit down and think through their concerns and worries.”
Campaign organiser Jan Maddern added: “It was a great honour to be taking all these letters to Downing Street. I’d also like to thank everyone who took the time to write a letter. This is a very clear demonstration of local feeling towards the closure of our hospital and the way that our views on the matter have been consistently ignored.”
The A&E, stroke unit, cardiac unit and intensive care are all either closed already or due to close next month.
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26th February 2009 - MPs question hospital delay
Watford Observer :
Two local MPs have questioned when, if ever, Watford's new hospital will be ready to treat its first patient.
A letter from the region's Strategic Health Authority (SHA), seen by the Watford Observer, has revealed the project is now not due for completion until 2016 - three years later than originally planned.
...
Mr Gauke said: “At the last election, the Government promised a £300 million hospital in Watford by 2013. “We already knew that the expenditure had been cut back but it is now clear that, in the last three years, this project has been put back by three years. “With many Government projects unravelling because of funding difficulties, this further delay raises serious concerns as to whether Watford will ever get the new hospital we have been promised.”
...
Mr Penning, who is a Conservative minister for health, said: “This news confirms my view that there is a major doubt about the Watford project.
“This is the first time we have seen a breakdown of the slippage.” ...
The news comes after local health campaigners claimed the proposed hospital is too ambitious and NHS bosses will not be able to raise the finances to pay for it.
The hospital is due to be funded by private finance initiative (PFI). However, the current lending crisis has cast doubt over the prospect of the money being secured.
Last month, Jan Filochowski, chief executive of West Herts Hospitals Trust, told this paper the project remains on track and he was confident of getting the cash.
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24th February 2009 - Your hospital letters delivered to Number 10
Hemel Today :
More than 1,000 heartfelt letters pleading for a rethink on the shake up of hospital services will be delivered to Downing Street tomorrow (Wednesday).
The giant bundle, collected during last November's Big No rally in Hemel Hempstead, will be handed over by the town's MP Mike Penning.
Hundreds of people penned letters to Prime Minister Gordon Brown during the campaign, begging him to step in over changes to the town's NHS services.
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24th February 2009 - Urgent care centres to send thousands of cases back to GPs
Pulse :
Government plans to replace A&E departments with new urgent care centres run by GPs and nurses could swamp practices with unresolved cases, new figures suggest.
One of the first urgent care centres in the country to open is sending as many as 40% of its patients back to their GP, it emerged this week.
The new centres are being developed as a gateway to emergency and urgent care – in a bid to free up A&E departments. But GP leaders attacked the plans as lacking an evidence base and repeating the errors made with walk-in centres.
It follows a recent warning from the College of Emergency Medicine that it had ‘serious concerns’ about the centres, which it said were being imposed for reasons of cost and without evidence of ‘clinical or financial benefits’.
The urgent care centre in Hemel Hempstead - which saw 6,309 patients in its first three months of opening – predicts it will eventually treat 65% of patients currently visiting A&E.
But discharge figures show that 38% of patients were told to contact their own GP; with just 27% discharged. A further 16% of patients were referred to hospital, with 7% referred to A&E.
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16th February 2009 - March 11 date for A&E closure
Hemel Today :
Accident and emergency at Hemel Hempstead Hospital will be closing on March 11.
From that Wednesday anyone seeking treatment for serious illness or injury will need to go to casualty departments in Watford or Luton.
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28th January 2009 - Doubts grow over new Watford hospital
Hemel Today :
The cash needed to make a new Watford hospital a reality has been thrown into doubt once again by an email in which health chiefs admit 'a real problem in taking new hospitals to conclusion'.
The email puts a question mark over the way new hospitals are funded because they depend on cash from the private sector and 'none of the banks have any money'.
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28th January 2009 - St Albans MP warns hospital plans may collapse
St.Albans and Harpenden REVIEW :
A LEAKED email has revealed that the planned expansion of Watford General Hopital is likely to fall victim to the economic slump, according to St Albans MP Anne Main.
Summarising a meeting between health chiefs and Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson, the email states: "Hospitals were due to be built as part of the private finance initiative, but the credit crunch has led to problems raising cash from the private sector.
“The bad news is around capital schemes that would have been PFIs (private finance initiatives).
"PFIs have always been the NHS's ‘Plan A’ for building new hospitals, especially as they used to be off-balance sheet. There was never a 'Plan B'. Now none of the banks have any money or a likely to have any for a few years, the absence of a ‘Plan B’ is going to cause a real problem in taking new hospitals to conclusion.”
Mrs Main said: "This is deeply worrying for St Albans. Following the decision to move the accident and emergency unit from Hemel Hempstead to Watford, Watford is now a key hospital for St Albans. "This project was agreed on the firm assurance that funding was in place to develop the new £300 million hospital at Watford. However, it now seems that this might be in danger.
"Services are already being run down at Hemel in order to prepare for the move, but concerns have been expressed since before Christmas that the funding may be at risk. "Now we have this worrying Government leak which says, in clear terms, that there is ‘no plan B’ for PFI projects.
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23rd January 2009 - Hospital theatres need £1.5m upgrade
St.Albans and Harpenden REVIEW :
Hospital chiefs are planning to spend £1.5million on repairs to operating theatres in Watford.
The cash will be used to replace ventilation units at the hospital which are 25 years old.
A report to the board of West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust says the work will cut cancellations, reduce the number of bugs and improve patient safety.
"The plant is not compliant with current standards for theatre supplies and the condition gives additional risks of infection and the inadequate control of anaesthetic gas concentrations," the report says.
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23rd January 2009 - Hospital theatres need £1.5m upgrade
St.Albans and Harpenden REVIEW :
Hospital chiefs are planning to spend £1.5million on repairs to operating theatres in Watford.
The cash will be used to replace ventilation units at the hospital which are 25 years old.
"The plant is not compliant with current standards for theatre supplies and the condition gives additional risks of infection and the inadequate control of anaesthetic gas concentrations," the report says.
Campaigner Zena Bullmore said: "Heaven only knows what else has to be upgraded in Watford.
"How long have they known about this?
"They are closing everything in Hemel regardless and leaving nothing to fall back on."
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20th January 2009 - Birth centre review 'disheartening'
Hemel Today :
A childbirth charity has hit out at health chiefs about how its research is being used to justify not reopening the Hemel Birth Centre.
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) carried out a survey of women for West Herts Primary Care Trust (PCT) as part of a review of maternity services, which concluded the birth unit was 'not viable'.
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23rd December 2008 - Watford General fails inspection
Watford Observer :
Hygiene standards inside west Hertfordshire's hospitals have failed in two out of three basic categories, inspectors found during a surprise visit.
Inspectors from the Government health watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, found West Herts Hospital Trust had breached two basic rules of its hygiene code.
The trust, which runs Watford General as well as St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals, failed to meet “duty two”, to have in place an appropriate management systems for infection prevention.
It also failed to meet “duty four”, to maintain a clean and appropriate environment for healthcare.
Inspectors, however, found the trust was meeting the third inspected area, “duty 8”, to provide adequate isolation facilities.
During the visit they found dust and debris on the floors of wards they visited and highlighted issues regarding the decontamination of surgical instruments and equipment used for endoscopies.
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18th December 2008 - Hemel Birth Centre will not reopen
Hemel Today :
Hopes the award-winning Hemel Birth Centre would one day return have been dashed.
Experts called in to review maternity services in west Herts conclude the centre is 'not viable' despite the groundswell of support the unit enjoyed.
Campaigners have reacted with anger to the announcement.
Zena Bullmore, chairman of Dacorum Hospital Action Group, said: "We're appalled.
"We think the case they make for not reopening it is very weak.
"Women need to have a genuine choice and at the moment they haven't."
The unit for low-risk births opened in 2003 to soften the blow of the loss of full maternity services but it was closed in 2005, despite receiving a gong from the National Childbirth Trust (NCT).
Thousands of people backed a campaign to save the unit, including the NCT, and hospital chiefs later said they would investigate reopening it.
Herts Primary Care Trust launched a review of maternity services in May, which was carried out by Professor Allan Templeton, a past president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and Angela Canning, head of midwifery services at the Princess Royal Hospital in Bromley.
In their report they say the unit 'quickly attracted an excellent reputation based on feedback from women and clinical staff'.
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18th December 2008 - Last chance to send hospital letters
Hemel Today :
The last post for letters pleading to save services at Hemel Hempstead Hospital is fast approaching.
Dozens of post boxes have been set up throughout Dacorum for people to drop off letters inspired by the Save Hemel Hospital campaign's rally last month (November).
At The Big No, held in Hemel Hempstead town centre, hundreds of people penned heartfelt letters to Prime Minister Gordon Brown begging him to step in over changes to the town's NHS services.
The boxes will be emptied on Tuesday, December 9, and then delivered in a giant bundle to Number 10 by Hemel MP Mike Penning.
More than 760 letters pleading for a rethink on decisions made about the hospital, including replacing A&E with an urgent care centre, have already been added to the collection.
Campaigner Jan Maddern said: "If everybody who wants to show their support for this campaign wrote a letter and dropped into one of the boxes, we will have thousands to take to Number 10."
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19th November 2008 - Find your nearest hospital letter post box
Hemel Today :
Letters penned by concerned residents about the changes taking place at Hemel Hempstead Hospital can be delivered to special post boxes all over town.
At a rally by Save Hemel Hospital campaigners on Sunday, people were encouraged to write letters to Prime Minister Gordon Brown asking him to step in on issues affecting local NHS services.
More than 760 letters pleading for a rethink on decisionsADVERTISEMENTmade about the hospital, including replacing A&E with an urgent care centre, were collected in a giant post box built especially for the event.
But campaigners believe there are thousands more people who may wish to write their concerns about the local NHS in a letter.
They have now planted special post boxes in shops across the town to collect as many as possible.
Campaigner Jan Maddern said: "We had a good number of letters handed in on Sunday, but it is a tiny percentage of the population in this town.
If everybody who wants to show their support for this campaign wrote a letter and dropped into one of the boxes, we will have thousands to take to Number 10."
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17th November 2008 - The hospital food lottery
The Mirror :
It has never enjoyed the best reputation, but now hospital food has got healthcare critics spluttering in their soup.
Figures obtained by the Mirror reveal that some NHS trusts spend eight times more than others on feeding the sick - making the quality of hospital meals a postcode lottery.
In certain parts of the country, patients are tucking into tasty chicken chasseur and beef madras to aid their road to recovery. But elsewhere they have to make do with tasteless mash and soggy veg.
The figures, from the NHS Information Centre, show that eight NHS trusts are spending less than £3 a day on food and drinks for each of their patients. The meanest of all - West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust - spent just £1.96 per head last year. So if you need treatment there, better pack a few sandwiches and a flask.
For some decent grub, you need to hope that if you do fall ill at least you are admitted to a hospital within the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Foundation. This topped the list of most generous trusts - last year spending £16.25 per head on food.
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16th November 2008 - Hundreds say 'No'
Hemel Today :
UPDATED 3pm: Hundreds turned out despite the rain to form a giant human 'NO' outside the Civic Centre in Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead.
Protestors against cuts to the town's hospital services came together to form the word at 2.45pm.
It sent a clear message to hospital bosses and the govenment that the town wants a fully functioning hospital.
Campaigners then marched, led by majorettes from the Blue Angels, through the town to the River Gade for a fundraising duck race.
Campaigners hope residents will help form the letters of the word NO to send a giant 'human' message.
The event is part of a last push from the Save Hemel Hospital campaign to try and reverse decisions made about the town's health services.
The rally will feature guest speakers and live music at the Marlowes band stand from 11am.
A giant postbox has been set up for people to post letters to prime minister Gordon Brown.
Protestors are writing letters expressing their concerns about the hospital situation and Mr Penning will then take the batch of letters to Downing Street.
The day will finish with a duck race on the river at the Riverside Shopping Centre to help raise cash to fund the rally.
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14th November 2008 - No means no!
Hemel Today :
Get down to Hemel Hempstead town centre today (Sunday) for a mass demonstration against cuts at the hospital.
Campaigners hope residents will help form the letters of the word NO to send a giant 'human' message.
The stunt is part of a last push from the Save Hemel Hospital campaign to try and reverse decisions made about the town's health services.
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12th November 2008 - Hospital site marked for 209 NEW HOMES that are intended to replace Hospital services in the growing town..!
Hemel Today :
Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been listed with room for 209 homes...
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11th November 2008 - Pen your letter to number 10
Hemel Today :
Make sure your voice is heard at this weekend's hospital rally with a personal letter to the prime minister.
Central to this weekend's protest against changes to local health services is a post box stuffed full of letters that will be delivered to Gordon Brown.
The event, featuring guest speakers, live music and a protest march, takes place from 11am onADVERTISEMENTSunday in Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead.
Organisers have urged everyone with something to say about the closure of hospital services to put pen to paper and bring it with them on Sunday to add to a giant post box.
Letters signed by hundreds of people are only registered as a single objection, so campaigners are keen for everyone to write their own and be counted individually.
Campaigner Jan Maddern said: "Even if all you want to write is that you don't want your hospital to close, that is enough. Please write your name, address and whatever is important to you and get it to our post box at the bandstand on Marlowes on Sunday."
There will be a tent with tables, chairs, paper and envelopes on the day for people to pen their messages to number 10.
If you would like to write yours ahead of the event, Jan and fellow campaigner Alex Bhinder have suggested you consider the following questions when composing it:
Are you concerned about response times or the distance to travel between your home and Watford Hospital?
Would you like to see equipment paid for by Dacorum residents kept at Hemel Hempstead Hospital?
How do you feel about government plans to build 17,000 homes in the area by 2031, without an acute general hospital in the town?
Have adequate reasons for the changes to the town's NHS services been given to residents?
Are you confused about which services will be available to you at which hospital?
Have you or your family already been affected by the changes made? What happened?
Will there be logistical and financial issues for Dacorum people getting to and from Watford for appointments or to visit patients?
Do you have confidence in Watford Hospital?
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6th November 2008 - "St Albans children will be treated..."
St.Albans and Harpenden Review :
INJURED children can still be taken to treated to Hemel Hempstead Hospital for treatment, health chiefs are insisting.
A new unit known as an urgent care centre opened at the hospital a month ago, and is gradually taking over from the traditional accident and emergency unit, which will close in March or April.
A leaflet, claiming children will no longer be treated there, which the West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) insists is seriously misleading, has been distributed in the Hemel Hempstead area, prompting a letter to local schools from PCT chairman Stuart Bloom.
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28th October 2008 - West Herts Hospital Trust [SIC] achieves the lowest possible rating...
Borehamwood Times :
It is no exaggeration to say last October was one of the darkest months in Watford General Hospital’s history.
A damning health report had just rated quality of services and financial management at West Hertfordshire NHS Hospitals Trust as “weak” - the lowest possible rating.
It was the second consecutive year the trust had received a “double weak” score, leaving it among the worst in the country.
Burdened by a huge deficit, with hospital infections rampant and the trust in disarray, chief executive, David Law, resigned.
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20th October 2008 - Hospital rally planned
Hemel Today :
A RALLY is being planned as a last ditch attempt to force a change of heart over the loss of health services from Hemel Hempstead.
Campaigners are hoping thousands will turn out in Gadebridge Park on November 16 with personal letters they have written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown begging for a rethink.
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20th October 2008 - Hospital chiefs speaks of struggle
Hemel Today :
Boss Jan Filochowski has told how the challenge of turning around West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust took so much out of him his wife feared for his health.
He has described how the first two months in the post of chief executive, as he tackled the trust's massive failings, left him 'emotionally and mentally' exhausted.
The task was so great he originally told his superiors – and his wife - he would stay for just six months...
"The problems of west Herts had become of such significance that they were national problems," he said.
A controversial GP-led health centre, offering the services of a GP surgery is planned.
"The move of services from Hemel to Watford had not been thought through and was at risk of not going through properly," he said.
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16th October 2008 - Have your say on health
Hemel Today :
Campaigners are urging the public to have their say on health services at a meeting in Hemel Hempstead.
The Dacorum Hospital Action Group (DHAG), MP Mike Penning and local GPs are set to meet at the Civic Centre tomorrow (Friday).
And members of the public are urged to come along for talks on the future of local health services including Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
The meeting, open to all, is being held at the Civic Centre in Marlowes at 7pm.
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6th October 2008 - Emergency patients set for hospital move
Watford Observer :
The next stage of plans to develop acute hospital services at Watford General Hospital will begin next month.
From November 3, 999 "blue light" ambulances will take emergency patients straight to Watford General after 10pm and before 8am. Staff numbers will be increased to ensure patients have the "best possible emergency care", although the changes will affect, on average, less than ten patients each night.
The A&E unit at Hemel Hempstead will remain open until March next year, when it will transfer to Watford General, in Vicarage Road.
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29th September 2008 - Health trust in bid for foundation status
Borehamwood Times :
The health trust that runs Watford General Hospital has unveiled plans to apply to become a foundation trust.
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust will carry out a 12-week consultation process, giving residents the chance to help shape its future services and discuss the possibility of foundation trust status.
A foundation trust has greater financial freedom to make decisions, but is still part of the NHS. It is also accountable to the community who, as members, have a greater voice on issues concerning hospitals.
The trust would be regulated by foundation trust watchdog, Monitor, instead of the Healthcare Commission.
The consultation started on Monday and will end on Tuesday, December 16.
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26th September 2008 - Emergency patients still waiting too long to see doctor, review says
The Times :
Patients who need emergency medical care are facing unnecessary delays in seeing a doctor, despite government targets to speed up urgent treatment, a review says today.
In the most comprehensive review yet of NHS emergency and urgent care, the Healthcare Commission found significant variations in how patients are treated across England, particularly on evenings and at weekends.
In some hospitals only 40 per cent of patients were seen by a doctor or nurse within an hour of arrival at the accident and emergency department, while others achieved 100 per cent.
The proportion of children with a broken arm or leg who attended A&E and were given pain relief within one hour varied from 20 per cent in some hospitals to 100 per cent elsewhere.
Anna Walker, chief executive of the Healthcare Commission, said there had been improvements in performance on government targets, with 97.9 per cent of A&E patients being treated within the four-hour target in 2007-08, up from 91.2 per cent in 2003-04.
Mike Penning, Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead, said the Government was “hitting self-imposed targets, but missing the point in providing care. Patient outcomes are being neglected.”
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23rd September 2008 - Hospital trust bids for foundation status
Hemel Today :
A public consultation has started this week on a bid by West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust to gain foundation status.
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22rd September 2008 - West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust bids to become a Foundation Trust
SAVE HEMEL HOSPTIAL :
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust is calling for local people to get more involved in the shaping of hospital services after unveiling plans to apply for Foundation Trust status. This forms part of a consultation exercise, which ran from 22 September 2008 and ended on 20 February 2009.
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21st September 2008 - Date set for health services public meeting
Hemel Today :
Campaigners have set a date for a public meeting to highlight health care issues in Hemel Hempstead.
Dacorum Hospital Action Group (DHAG) wants to give people the opportunity to comment and learn more about the future of services.
The meeting, chaired by MP Mike Penning, will take place in the council chamber at Hemel Hempstead Civic Centre on Friday, October 17, at 7pm.
Speakers will include Mr Penning, South West Herts MP David Gauke, DHAG chairman Zena Bullmore, and Tring GP Tony Hall-Jones.
Mrs Bullmore said: "It's a public meeting to explain what's going on and to discuss the programme for the future."
Major changes have taken place at Hemel Hempstead Hospital with planned surgery moved to St Albans and A&E closing next March.
The meeting follows the launch of a campaign by family doctors against a new health centre destined for Hemel Hempstead.
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19th September 2008 - Grandmother’s fury over Watford hospital ‘birthing blunder’
Borehamwood Times :
A Borehamwood grandmother has criticised Watford General Hospital for allegedly “misdiagnosing” an infection that her daughter suffered following an emergency caesarean section.
Diane Stanton, 55, called the hospital “irresponsible” after her daughter Shiobhan Stanton, contracted the infection after giving birth to a son on Friday, August 22.
Shiobhan, 35, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, August 24, and returned to her home in Hemel Hempstead to find the stitches in her stomach from the operation had opened.
Mrs Stanton said: “Shiobhan was firstly discharged very quickly, then when her scar stitches became loose, the area was oozing with pus and I could see it was infected.”
Shiobhan went immediately to see her GP in Hemel Hempstead and was put on a course of antibiotics.
“A swab was sent for tests by the GP and on September 5 she received confirmation that she had a bug called pseudomonus. After this, Shiobhan’s partner called Watford Hospital which invited them in for an interview on the Saturday,” said Mrs Stanton.
At the meeting, a doctor and a midwife told her daughter the area was not infected, claimed Mrs Stanton. Shiobhan then went to Hemel Hempstead General Hospital to get a second opinion.
Mrs Stanton added: “The doctor there told her the area was definitely infected.
“Watford Hospital misdiagnosed her and was irresponsible with her treatment. It was dreadful, especially because she had just had her baby and should be enjoying her time as a mother.
“Shiobhan is still suffering at the moment and needs to have the area around her stomach cleaned out every three days. I want the hospital to take notice of this situation and to not let it happen to anyone else in the future.”
Watford General Hospital and Hemel Hempstead General Hospital both come under the West Hertford-shire Hospitals NHS Trust.
A spokeswoman said: “Although we cannot comment on individual cases, the trust is always concerned to hear that a patient is unhappy with the care they have received.
“If Miss Stanton would like to contact our complaints department on 01923 217866, we would be happy to discuss her concerns with her in detail.”
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17th September 2008 - GPs revolt against Hemel health centre
Hemel Today :
Family doctors are calling on the public to join them in a fight against a new health centre destined for Hemel Hempstead.
The GPs want people to sign a petition against the centre, which they claim will be 'potentially catastrophic' for health care in the town.
Sixteen out of the 19 GP practices in Dacorum have declared they are against the centre in a show of resistance to NHS bosses not seen before in this part of the country.
The doctors claim the centre will spell closure for existing surgeries and provide worse care for patients.
The campaign involves posters, 750,000 leaflets and the petition, which will be delivered to Parliament.
The GP-led health centre will be open to anyone 12 hours a day and 365 days a year in a town centre location as part of a nationwide government initiative to make it easier for people to see a doctor.
But the Hemel Hempstead and District Locality Forum, which represents family doctors, says the centre is not needed because local surgeries are now opening at earlier and later hours.
The forum claims the new centre will be able to register 6,000 patients, which will draw patients and resources from existing surgeries like Fernville and Lincoln House.
Dr Mark Brownfield, chair of the forum, said: "If you're going down the route of a walk-in centre, patients are going to be going in there in isolation of their medical records to see GPs who don't know them.
"We have grave concerns about the safety of this.
"It's potentially catastrophic."
Dr Paul Heatley, of Bennetts End Surgery, said: "We have a system that has evolved over 60 years.
"It's highly regarded by patients. Do you really want to throw that out and take a leap in the dark?"
A tendering process is currently under way to decide who will run the centre, which opens in March next year, and it is understood a number of multinational companies and local GPs have submitted bids.
The health centre is expected to sit alongside the urgent care centre that will replace A&E in Hemel Hempstead next year.
Doctors fear smaller local bidders will be unable to compete with the economies of scale big companies can draw on.
Dr Brownfield said: "We don't believe these large health care organisations can deliver.
"They will be pursuing a business-based agenda, feeding their shareholders and their motives will be different from existing GP practices."
He added: "If enough people oppose them there is still a possibility they could be stopped."
A letter outlining the doctors' opposition has been sent to the Herts Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and the Department of Health.
The campaign is backed by Dacorum Hospital Action Group, Dacorum Patients Group and MP Mike Penning.
Mr Penning said: "It will be another white elephant that's going to be dropped in Hemel because they know they were wrong to take our hospital away.
"Instead of having it imposed on us it should be the GPs and local clinicians who decide what we need in the town."
Anne Walker, chief executive of the PCTs, said: "I do not believe that a new health centre is a potential threat to quality.
"Patients have raised time and time again, the difficulty they have in getting an appointment with a GP.
"The health centre is designed to complement the GP services that already exist and to offer patients improved access to services."
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YOU CAN SIGN THE PETITION IN YOUR SURGERY OR BY CLICKING HERE.
9th September 2008 - Hospital's 'judgement error' on 100 year old patient
Hemel Today :
The daughter of a Kings Langley centenarian has hit out at the hospital care her mother received in the weeks before her death.
Mrs Ellen Stanbridge, aged 100, died just one day after being discharged from a ward at Hemel Hempstead Hospital in August.
Her family claims Mrs Stanbridge was only admitted with a bruised ankle, but 'completely deteriorated' during her four week stay.
Her daughter Jennifer Perry, 70, said: "When my mother entered the hospital she was relatively fit and healthy for a woman of 100 years, but she left a dying woman.
...
Mrs Stanbridge, a great-grandmother, had fallen at her Vicarage Lane home in July and taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle.
Hospital staff kept Mrs Stanbridge in for four weeks because they wanted to 'encourage her to mobilise' and because she required nightcare.
Mrs Perry said: "I think it was a serious judgement error to keep her on a ward unnecessarily and she was very miserable.
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8th September 2008 - Official handover for West Herts Acute Admissions Unit
Hospital Development :
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust has taken official possession of the new 120-bed Acute Admissions Unit, following completion of the construction phase of the project.
The unit is expected to open to patients in March 2009. Over the next few months the trust will install and test major equipment and services, including a new CT scanner, x-ray equipment, cardiac catheterisation labs and new pharmacy facilities with robotic dispensary.
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3rd September 2008 - Construction finishes on Watford emergency unit
Hemel Today :
The keys to the new acute admissions unit at Watford General Hospital were handed over on Monday.
Construction work on the unit is complete and now it will be stocked with equipment in preparation for its opening in March next year.
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2nd September 2008 - Doctors given keys to 'flatpack' hospital
Watford Observer :
The keys to Watford’s brand new 120-bed hospital, where the town’s most poorly patients will in future be treated, were yesterday officially handed over to the doctors who will run it.
When the new three storey Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) opens in March it will treat every patient requiring emergency care in west Hertfordshire.
Thomas Hanahoe, chair of West Herts Hospitals Trust, said the handover was “a significant step” for the trust.
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29th August 2008 - 'No more closures' says regional NHS
Hemel Today :
NHS bosses in the region covering Hertfordshire have declared there will be no more closures of A&E or maternity departments.
The NHS East of England says it will 'support no further closures' in its vision statement document 'Towards the best, together'.
However, the policy comes too late for Hemel Hempstead's A&E department, which will be replaced by a urgent care centADVERTISEMENTre next year, or full maternity services, which closed in 2002.
In a statement the NHS East of England said decisions around Hemel Hempstead Hospital would not be revisited.
"Our vision 'Towards the best, together', published in May this year, clearly states that the NHS in our region will support no further closures of A&E or maternity units," the statement says.
"The units referred to in west Hertfordshire were decisions made last year, locally in Hertfordshire, and supported by (Herts County Council's] overview and scrutiny committee.
"The vision is based on a sustainable future for all 17 acute trusts in our region delivering both A&E and maternity services.
"It does not, and will not, reopen recent consultations and decisions.
"Local people have already spoken on those matters and this vision respects those decisions. - SAVE HEMEL STATES THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE CLEAR VOICE - TO KEEP SERVICES OPEN. THE HOSPITAL TRUST HAVE LIED IN THEIR FAILED ATTEMPT TO MANUFACTURE CONSENT FOR CLOSURES.
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19th August 2008 - Hospital staff praised - Hemel Hempstead General Hospital "Amazing..."
Hemel Today :
A man who thought his wife was dying has described the Hemel Hempstead Hospital staff who saved her as 'amazing'.
Joyce Mitchell, 79, was rushed to hospital in June with back pain and diagnosed with a kidney and bladder infection.
Her condition was so bad that husband John, 77, told members of their family to come to the hospital and say their goodbyes.
He said: "She was weak and her arms were black and blue there were so many drips in them, I've never seen anything like it.
"I thought she was so bad that she wouldn't live."
Retired nurse Joyce was treated on the Stuart ward before being moved to Lancaster ward.
John said: "I couldn't believe it, I came in to visit her and she had a smile on her face.
"The staff were all absolutely marvellous and I really think they saved her life.
"All the bad news you hear about Hemel Hempstead Hospital, I wanted people to know how wonderful these wards were."
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1st August 2008 - Mixed report for GPs
Watford Observer :
Doctors’ surgeries have received a mixed report in an NHS-commissioned patient survey.
Between January and April, 1,200 patients living within the boundaries of the West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust were sent a nationwide survey by the Healthcare Commission asking for their thoughts on local services.
The document probed a number of key patient concerns, including the ease of making appointments, waiting times, relationships with GPs, and the quality of care.
Of the 483 patients who responded, the findings were mixed.
The trust, responsible for the care of thousands of Watford residents, was ranked as average in most of the 51 subject areas covered. In others, however it was told to improve.
Of particular concern was the current inflexible and unreliable appointments system, with many patients complaining of long waits and late or cancelled slots.
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31st July 2008 - Elderly stuck at home without volunteer drivers
Hemel Today :
A car and minibus service that takes the elderly and disabled to hospital appointments is turning people away because of a lack of volunteer drivers in Hemel Hempstead.
With 1000 people on the books, 30 regular clients and just four drivers, Community Cars is working overtime to keep up with its work.
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14th July 2008 - Man, 96, left in bed for 15 hours
Hemel Today :
A pensioner from Hemel Hempstead died days after being admitted to hospital with dehydration after carers left him in bed at home for 15 hours.
Home care provider Community Careline Services (CCS) came under fire last month (June) when more than 30 of its Dacorum clients were not attended to during one weekend.
The family of Mr John Eustace were heartbroken to find him alone and unresponsive hours after he should have been helped from bed, fed and given a drink by CCS carers.
The 96 year old was admitted to Hemel Hempstead Hospital and died 10 days later after contracting pneumonia.
His daughter, Sylvia Reade, 66, said: "Dad was very elderly and we knew his time would come sooner rather than later, but how could it have helped being left in bed for all that time with no attendance and nothing to drink?
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4th July 2008 - Flatpack hospital delayed
Watford Observer :
The opening of Watford General’s new “flatpack” hospital has been delayed for five months following a series of technical issues.
The hospital’s new, state-of-the-art Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) was put together in just three weeks after the 145 steel “modules” were delivered, piece by piece, on articulated lorries.
The 120-bed new unit, which will provide acute care for patients across west Hertfordshire, including Hemel Hempstead and St Albans, had been expected to open in October.
However, West Hertfordshire Hospitals’ NHS Trust, the organisation that runs Watford General, announced on Wednesday that the date has now been pushed back until 2009.
The Watford Observer heard about the delays last week but health chiefs refused to comment until staff at the hospital had been briefed.
However, the centralisation of acute services at Watford has been heavily criticised, particularly by residents in Hemel and St Albans.
Mr Filochowski admitted centralisation was a large task.
He said: “The centralisation is being carried out in a series of phased moves that will ensure patient safety and avoid as much disruption to services as possible.”
Mike Penning, MP for Hemel, said the delay was bitter-sweet news for his residents.
He said: “While I, of course, welcome the delay in closing Hemel’s much needed acute services, I am deeply disappointed that it is purely because of so-called ‘technical reasons’.
“I had hoped that it would have been because the NHS Trust had seen some sense and realised that a town the size of Hemel needs a fully functioning general hospital.”
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30th June 2008 - Hospital staff turnover worst 'since records began'
Hemel Today :
Staff turnover at the trust running Hemel Hempstead Hospital is the highest 'since records began'.
The proportion of staff leaving West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust stands at 15.5 per cent and uncertainty about the future is being blamed for the situation.
Sarah Childerstone, director of workforce, told a board meeting: "The turnover rate has been increasing.
"It has gone up over the last year and is now at the highest level since records began.
"Undoubtedly that will be because staff are concerned about the future."
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18th June 2008 - War hero killed by superbug, transfusions are being stopped at Hemel Hospital
St.Albans Review :
THE family of a man who died after contracting a deadly hospital superbug has revealed his fascinating history.
William "Bill" Clark died on September 2 last year after catching Clostridum difficle, also known as C.diff, following a serious fall at his home in Cottonmill Lane, St Albans.
...
The Review reported last week that an inquest into the pensioner's death found he had been given medication to treat various infections, which weakened his immune system making him susceptible to killer bugs.
Bill's age and long battle with Parkinson's disease also made him vulnerable to the risk of infection We also revealed Hemel Hempstead Hospital no longer performed transfusions overnight after Bill had been given the wrong blood type.
The coroner said that the manner in which a blood transfusion was organised had not contributed to Bill's death, but as a result of the mix up, transfusions would stop at 7pm unless a patient was critically ill.
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10th June 2008 - Hospital blunder prompts policy change
St.Albans Review :
A HOSPITAL has stopped performing transfusions overnight after a St Albans man was given the wrong blood type, an inquest has heard.
William Clark, 91, who was known as Bill by family and friends, was knocked unconcious and taken to Hemel Hempstead Hospital when he accidentally fell on a patio at his home in Cottonmill Lane in August, last year.
As doctors treated his cuts and bruises, they found he had cystitus, a bladder infection, and prescribed him anti-biotics.
But the medication weakened his immune system making him susceptible to deadly superbugs.
The coroner said the manner in which a blood transfusion was organised had not contributed to Bill's death.
He said the mistake was human error, but welcomed news that transfusions would stop at 7pm unless a patient was critically ill.
"Errors happen," he said.
"We are all human, we all make mistakes.
"The response to this mistake was telling the family, getting doctors involved and dealing with it. That's what happened in this case."
"Mistakes are often made at night when perhaps there's less staff who are more under pressure if something unexpected happens."
Speaking after the verdict, Bill's son Mark, said: "This isn't a witch hunt, we appreciate the care he did receive in Hemel Hempstead Hospital from doctors and nurses.
"We wouldn't want this to happen to anyone else and we are glad that policies have changed."
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8th June 2008 - Fuel leak found at hospital
Hemel Today :
A fuel leak has been discovered in the emergency generator at Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
The 'pinprick' leak was discovered in a pipe during a survey but resulted in only 'minor seepage' of diesel into a protective bund, according to West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust.
The generator cuts in if there is a power cut and provides electricity to the hospital.
In a statement the trust said: "The tank was immediately shut off to prevent further leakage and repairs were undertaken.
"The trust was advised that the amount of leaked liquid was well under the level that is required to be reported to the Environmental Agency.
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6th June 2008 - Controversial day centre sale looms
Hemel Today :
Plans to close a Berkhamsted day centre dozens of elderly and disabled people depend on have come under fire from Berkhamsted Citizens Association (BCA).
At the end of last year Herts County Council announced that Manor Street Day centre, which caters for 60 residents, was to close and the land be sold off.
Although the site has been in use for almost 20 years, it is classed as a temporary buildingADVERTISEMENTand the council plans to send anyone who wants continue using the service to centres in Tring and Hemel Hempstead.
Chairman of the BCA, Tony Statham, said: "We deplore the loss of any public amenity space or facilities. While 'selling the family silver' may address a short-term financial need, it will create potential problems for the longer-term."
"The prospect of yet more residential housing without any corresponding expansion of infrastructure facilities exacerbates a growing problem in the town. It means more people and more housing but no expansion in medical or schooling facilities and no increase in parking availability."
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27th May 2008 - Hospital bug death numbers released
Hemel Today :
The number of deaths from hospital bugs in west Herts has been released for the first time.
The figures show 91 patients at Hemel Hempstead Hospital died from clostridium difficile between 2001 and 2006 and 24 from MRSA.
At Watford General Hospital over the same period there were 83 deaths from clostridium difficile and 25 from MRSA.
The government statistics show a doubling in deaths from clostridium difficile in 2006, but West Herts Hospitals Trust says this was because of a change in the way the figures were compiled.
Trust chief executive Jan Filochowski said the latest figures showed a dramatic fall in deaths from infections.
"Our figures are not the worst in the country," he said.
He said in the last quarter of 2007 there were 14 deaths from clostridium difficile and just three in the first quarter of this year.
Cases of the bug had dropped from 50 a month a year ago - when it was described as 'endemic' in the trust - to seven in April.
However, the trust missed its annual target for MRSA with 37 cases against a goal of 18
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23rd May 2008 - DHAG pays £26k for failed hospital legal challenge
Hemel Today :
Campaigners will have to pay £26,500 for the failed legal challenge to the downgrading of Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
Dacorum Hospital Action Group (DHAG) has handed the cash to West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust to help cover its legal costs for the High Court action last year.
The judicial review was based on the way the decision was taken to shift full A&E to WatfADVERTISEMENTord and planned surgery to St Albans.
The judge ordered DHAG to pay 40 per cent of the trust's legal bill after ruling the decision to move services out of the town had been made fairly.
The community raised thousands of pounds in a Gazette-backed campaign in support of DHAG to allow the review to take place.
This means the action group still has £23,000 left in its fighting fund.
DHAG chairman Zena Bullmore said: "Thanks to the generous donations from Dacorum citizens, and beyond, and to the publicity given by The Gazette, we have £23,000 left to continue our campaign after paying the legal costs."
She said the closures in Hemel Hempstead had resulted in a worse service to patients.
"We therefore in justice request that Hemel Hempstead Hospital's orthopaedic operating theatres and wards, and the other lost services, are returned at a very early date," she said.
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20th May 2008 - Hospital trust slammed in patient survey
Hemel Today :
The trust running Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been rated among the lowest 20 per cent in the country for its overall level of care in a patient survey.
West Herts Hospitals Trust was slammed by patients on aspects including cleanliness, confidence in doctors, and the amount of information provided by staff.
Just 27 per cent of patients rated overall care at the trust excellent, the lowest of all ADVERTISEMENTsimilar-sized trusts outside London, compared with an average of 42 per cent.
And one in ten patients wanted to complain about the care they received at the trust.
Out of a total of 62 questions, the trust was ranked in the bottom fifth in the country for 49.
The damning results have emerged in a survey carried out by the Healthcare Commission, an NHS watchdog.
The trust is currently in a state of upheaval, with full A&E in Hemel Hempstead due to close in October.
This follows the centralisation of planned surgery in St Albans, a move described as 'botched', and campaigners have called for wards in Hemel Hempstead to be reopened.
Trust chief executive Jan Filochowski, an NHS troubleshooter, was brought in last year following the resignation of his predecessor David Law over poor performance.
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13th May 2008 - Hospitals need 'a prescription for a change'
St.Albans Review :
PATIENTS have slammed the quality of care at hospitals in west Hertfordshire which have finished near the bottom of a national survey.
The West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs wards at St Albans City, Hemel Hempstead and Watford, scored in the worst 20 per cent for almost all the questions posed.
Patients who received treatment in 2007 criticised lack of privacy, night-time noise, dirtiness, delays, lack of information and poor communication from staff.
In only eight out of 60 key questions, which all focused on patients' experience of hospitals rather than quality and effectiveness of treatment, did the trust manage to get out of the bottom 20 per cent.
St Albans MP Anne Main said: "I can't say I am surprised, because often people have said to me that the medical outcome is fine but the hospitals look neglected, patients have been left hanging around and staff do not have time for them.
"Staff have been put under a lot of pressure to deliver results, and people feel they are not given enough attention. The personal side of nursing seems to have suffered."
Labour district councillor Roma Mills added: "The trust has got to get its act together. Staff morale has deteriorated with all the changes and consultations over the last ten years, and that has not helped. It may be that clinical outcomes are very good, but people also need to feel cared for. People want clean wards and curtains and privacy.
"If my child or my mother was going to hospital, I would want to feel confident they would be treated with care and consideration. There have always been issues about quality at care at St Albans City Hospital, Hemel Hempstead and Watford. Clearly these issues are still there."
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7th May 2008 - Nurse shortlisted for award
Hemel Today :
A NURSE at the trust running Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been shortlisted in the Nursing Standard awards.
Anne Carroll made it to the final two from 200 applicants in the continence care category, where she is a nurse specialist.
"I was absolutely delighted and honoured to be shortlisted to the last two people," she said.
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29th April 2008 - Disabled boy awarded £3m payout
BBC NEWS :
A 10-year-old boy left disabled after an alleged hospital blunder when he was a baby has won a compensation deal worth more than £3m.
Lawyers for Matthew Goode argued he was left cortically blind by oxygen starvation suffered during his birth at Watford Hospital in May 1997.
Through his mother Katriona, Matthew, of Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, sued the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust agreed to settle his case on the basis of 85% liability.
In a statement to the court, Mr and Mrs Goode said: "We have worked tirelessly for over nine years to try to resolve this case.
Matthew's lawyers argued his birth was negligently delayed at the hospital, with oxygen starvation the result.
After he was discharged five days after his birth, his condition worsened and he was taken back to the hospital where he suffered a seizure, leading to brain damage and cortical blindness, lawyers said.
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28th April 2008 - New A&E at Watford delayed
Watford Observer :
THE opening date of the new A&E at Watford General Hospital has been thrown into doubt by construction delays.
An original date of October 1 looks likely to slip by at least 10 days because high winds meant a crane was unable to operate.
The glitch has sent jitters through West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust, which is still reeling from the fiasco of centralisiADVERTISEMENTng planned surgery in St Albans.
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25th April 2008 - Doctors under fire for hygiene failings
Hemel Today :
DOCTORS are now being targeted at Hemel Hempstead Hospital after it emerged they are the worst culprits when it comes to handwashing.
Two doctors have been carpeted in recent weeks and a further three junior doctors have been sent warnings for failing to wash their hands.
In addition letters have been sent out to every doctor reminding them of the hygiene policy at West Herts HoADVERTISEMENTspitals NHS Trust.
Action has been taken in light of audits that show while at least 96 per cent of nurses wash their hands, for doctors the figure is 85 per cent.
The number of cases of killer bugs at the trust continues to run above target levels, with 37 cases of MRSA and 28 cases of Clostridium difficile.
Medical director Graham Ramsay told a trust board meeting: "In the last week I have had two doctors for face to face meetings.
"I have sent out three warnings to junior doctors."
During an audit it was noted that of eight consultants on a ward round, just two gelled their hands on entering and none did between patients.
At Hemel Hempstead Hospital the wards with the worst record on handwashing are Boleyn, St Peter's, the stroke unit and endoscopy.
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10th April 2008 - Staff job satisfaction 'below average'
Hemel Today :
Job satisfaction among staff working for the Trust that runs Watford General Hospital has risen over the past year.
However, the results of a nationwide survey carried out by a health watchdog show morale at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust is still "below average" compared to other acute trusts in England.
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8th April 2008 - Maternity services to be reviewed
Watford Observer :
Maternity services across Hertfordshire are set to be reviewed, to ensure new mums get the best service away from major hospitals.
While Watford General Hospital, in Vicarage Road, has both a midwife-led birth unit and a consultant-led service, the county's Primary Care Trusts will investigate whether they can offer women a choice about where they have their babies.
One proposal to be considered is the reopening of a birth unit at Hemel Hempstead Hospital, which could offer a midwife-led unit for low risk births. High risk births would still be performed at Watford General. Provision of home births, and post and ante-natal care will also be discussed.
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5th April 2008 - Hemel Birth Centre to return?
Hemel Today :
A LIFELINE has been thrown to the long-closed Hemel Birth Centre with the announcement of a review of maternity services in Hertfordshire.
The work will include investigating the possibility of reopening the unit for low-risk births in Hemel Hempstead, which was axed two years ago.
The award-winning unit was praised by the women who gave birth there but West Herts Hospitals NHS TrustADVERTISEMENTshut it down as a money-saving measure in the face of massive debts.
Full maternity services, including the special care baby unit, were closed at Hemel Hempstead Hospital in 2003 despite a huge public backlash.
The review will be carried out by Allan Templeton, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Aberdeen, and past president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
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4th April 2008 - Campaigner Zena's hospital diary
Hemel Today :
VETERAN campaigner Zena Bullmore has given a first-hand account of hospital life following service closures in Hemel Hempstead.
Zena had her hip replaced in March at St Albans City Hospital, three months after her consultant referred her and marked the operation 'urgent'.
Her account paints a picture of committed staff battling dirty windows, a lack of hot water and heating, broken lifts and showers, and general neglect.
Since surgery was shifted to St Albans cancellation rates have rocketed and Zena, now 87, says perfectly good wards and operating theatres at Hemel Hempstead Hospital are lying idle.
New boss at West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust Jan Filochowski has admitted the switching of surgery to St Albans was a 'mess up' but he says things are now improving.
However, Zena's story shows there is still some way to go.
Tuesday 4th March
Had to be at St Albans for 7.30am so had to leave by 6.45am. Had to starve from Monday night ready for the operation on Tuesday.
Had expected to be in Becket Ward but it was closed because of lack of staff. There is no bed for me. I have to sit and wait for my operation. It was delayed due to a problem with equipment for the operation before mine as they had to wait for replacement equipment. I went down for my operation around 1.00pm.
I was in recovery for some time as my blood pressure was very low. Eventually I was taken up to De la Mere ward. My blood pressure was still low.
Wednesday 5th March
I was on painkillers, oxygen and a saline drip. Daughter in Devon and son in Australia unable to speak to me as there is no phone on the ward except at the nurses station.
Friday 7th March
The nurses are having to do 13-hour shifts and as many are from Hemel Hempstead it means they have the half hour plus drive each way on top.
<
A senior nurse washing me one day warned me she might be called away to help in the operating theatre. The nurses are wonderful and the care good. They deserve better. They are run off their feet.
Saturday 8th March
The window in a side room fell out and they had to get workmen in to repair it. Apparently it happened in the main ward a few weeks ago and there is a sign on the bottom windows saying that they should not be opened.
Sunday 9th March
My visitors today had to come through a silent and dark hospital with all doors locked, including toilets. All visitors are having to pay £3 to park every time they come to see patients and for those who are in for some time it is a burden on their families.
The heating and hot water broke down in the evening. It is a very cold night. The nurses have put four blankets on my bed.
Monday 10th March
The heating was off in the whole block and not fixed until late afternoon. Both lifts broken down too so 18 operations had to be cancelled. They are now replacing the lift that has been out of order for some time.
I have heard that however many patients the ward has, from one to 28, only three nurses are allowed to work overnight.
I had been suffering pains in my lower right side and thought they were due to bruising but asked for an x-ray. At 11.30am I was given the news that I have a tiny chest infection and will be put on antibiotics.
I was woken at midnight to be given my first antibiotics. Everyone is so busy they are all run off their feet.
Tuesday 11th March
Cleaning inspection being done. I have no complaints about the cleaning it is very good and thorough but the windows are filthy. This is because they are now only cleaned annually.
I went to the toilet for the first time using my new replacement hip. It was hilarious. Somehow we had to get in me, my catheter, zimmer and a member of staff. I'm afraid the toilet was just not big enough. Good job the catheter is going tomorrow!
Toilet for visitors on top floor is suffering from 'rising damp' and the plaster is bubbling and disintegrating. It looks very neglected.
The cordless phone brought over by staff won't work.
Friday 14th March
I understand that people are being moved from Watford to St Albans two days after their operations as there is no room at Watford since Hemel orthopaedics were closed.
This morning there was no hot water. When I wanted a biscuit the nurse couldn't find me one. I have to share my zimmer with the bed next to me as there aren't enough. I was able to speak to my son David in Australia as I was able to get to the nurses' station using a zimmer.
Saturday 15th March
No hot water again this morning. It was barely lukewarm. I could now go to Gossoms End (intermediate care unit in Berkhamsted] but there are no beds available. There are not enough pillows and we can't have soup in cups because there aren't enough cups.
Sunday 16th March
Again the water was barely warm. Apparently it is because the water heating is turned on so late and there are so many patients. A patient went down the ward as the toilet in the bay was occupied and the seat broke. She nearly fell off but managed to save herself.
Monday 17th March
I am going to Gossoms End for rehabilitation today. Today there was only one zimmer for all six beds. I asked for a shower but was told that it was broken. Again the water was cold.
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14th February 2008 - Pensioner stranded for hours at hospital
Hemel Today :
A frail and diabetic pensioner from Hemel Hempstead was stranded at Watford Hospital for four hours without her insulin while she waited for transport home.
Mary Robins, 75, had already been picked up late by hospital transport and forced to join the back of the queue for her appointment on Monday, February 4.
She was collected from her care home on Alexandra Road just five minutes before her 3.20pm aADVERTISEMENTppointment.
Her husband, Les, 79, said: "By the time we got to the hospital we were far too late and had to wait another two hours to be seen.
"When we came out it was after 6pm and the nurse called for us to have transport home but we just sat there and sat there and eventually it came at 10.45pm.
"It's a disgusting way to treat any patient, but for a diabetic person who hadn't had her insulin it's unacceptable."
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31st January 2008 - Maternity service worst in England
Herts Advertiser 24 :
The Healthcare Commission rated West Herts Hospitals Trust (WHHT) which takes in St Albans City, Hemel Hempstead and Watford Hospitals, at the bottom!
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30th January 2008 - Call for £86,000 raised for stroke unit to stay in Hemel
Hemel Today :
A campaigner who raised £86,000 to pay for a stroke unit in Hemel Hempstead feels betrayed after learning hospital chiefs intend to move it to Watford.
Margaret Sharp, of Cotterells in Hemel Hempstead, claims West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust must have known there were question marks over the unit's future in the town when they were encouraging her fundraising.
Mrs Sharp managed to collect the huge sum of money in a matter of months in 2004 after getting the backing of local businesses and the community including The Gazette.
"I feel I have been made a fool of," she said.
"I worked for something that was going to be there for the future.
"I want to say to the town I have always been honest with people and I was not aware this was a short-term project."
She added: "I'm not walking away on this one. The trust has done an injustice to the people of Hemel.
"I want this money back and I want something for stroke people in Hemel Hempstead."
Mrs Sharp started pressing for a stroke unit in the town in 2002 after her husband Phillip suffered a stroke.
Her dreams came true in November 2004 after the community rallied round to enable the purchase of electric beds, stroke chairs, and monitors.
However, throughout this period health chiefs were drawing up plans to strip services from Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
In October full A&E services will close in the town, which will be left with a minor injuries unit, diagnostic facilities and an outpatients department.
MP Mike Penning is backing Mrs Sharp's call for the cash to stay in the town and he intends to ask the Parliamentary Ombudsman to investigate the situation.
"There is something ethically wrong here," he said.
"These people have been led up the garden path.
"People need assurances about where their money has gone and why can't we have that money back?
"People will never have the faith to put their hands in their pocket again."
In a statement the trust said: "We really appreciate all the time and hard work that Mrs Sharp has put into fundraising on behalf of the trust and the people of west Hertfordshire over many years.
"Centralisation of this service and availability of skilled doctors and nurses to deliver this timely treatment is crucial for improved outcomes from stroke.
"We would like to reassure Mrs Sharp that the people of Hemel Hempstead will continue to receive access to our stroke services."
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24th January 2008 - A&E closure signals beginning of the end
Hemel Today :
Councillors have reacted to the announcement of a closure date for Hemel Hempstead's full A&E by warning 'we're on the slippery slope to the end of a hospital'.
Hospital bosses plan to shut down full casualty services on October 8 after a new A&E department opens in Watford, leaving Hemel Hempstead with a minor injuries unit.
The move was decided in 2006 by West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust but a legal challenge by Dacorum Hospital Action Group, though unsuccessful, delayed the plans.
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18th January 2008 - Date set for A&E transfer
Watford Observer :
Accident and emergency services for the whole of south-west Hertfordshire will be transferred to Watford General Hospital on October 7, a report has revealed.
Emergency care services currently offered at Hemel Hempstead General Hospital will close on that date, removing 239 acute beds and eight critical care beds from its wards.
After October 7, Watford will have 413 acute beds and 19 critical care beds, and St Albans City Hospital will have 40 acute beds, up from 28 - a total loss of 82 acute beds but an increase of five critical care beds.
That date is one of several milestones facing West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust in 2008, as disclosed in its recently published Operational Plan 2008/09.
Other key dates include the opening of Watford's 120-bed Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) on October 1, and of the extended Children's Emergency Department on November 30.
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13th January 2008 - John Underwood - a "Consultant" hired by the Hospital Trust to ensorse figures that falsely claimed local people voted for the closure of Hemel hospital is involved with political donations scandal - no surprise...
Guardian :
John Underwood prides himself on being a political firefighter with an acute sensitivity as to how the media works. A former media adviser to Neil Kinnock, Underwood runs several companies specialising in helping companies, public bodies and high-fliers in minimising the damage to their reputations when a public relations disaster looms.
But yesterday the former journalist found himself battling to defend his own reputation as the extraordinary saga surrounding Peter Hain's failure to declare more than £100,000 in donations continued to unfold.
Underwood stepped out of the shadows to declare that he was the trustee of the Progressive Policies Forum (PPF), a hitherto obscure political 'think tank' that last year gave more than £50,000 in donations and loans to Hain's campaign to become deputy leader of the Labour party.
Of this, £5,000 came from the diamond broker, Willie Nagel, who also gave a £25,000 loan, £15,000 from the healthcare boss Isaac Kaye and £10,000 from the Welsh businessman, Michael Cuddy, whose demolition and engineering firm, Cuddy Group, carries pictures of Hain presenting its employees with awards for safety on its website.
If Underwood, whose PR company, Clear, was awarded a contract from the government to produce a report endorsing the closure of an NHS hospital in the Tory-held seat of Hemel Hempstead, had hoped the revelation that he was the trustee would shore up the position of the Minister for Work and Pensions, he was spectacularly mistaken.
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27th December 2007 - Hospital downgrade rubber stamped
Herts 24 :
ONLY two acute hospitals will remain in Herts after last week's decision to reduce services at QEII Hospital and opt for Lister as the main hospital in the east and north of the county.
As expected, the Welwyn Garden City hospital which is used by many people in St Albans, is to be downgraded to a local general hospital with Lister in Stevenage offering acute care for that part of the county.
In West Herts, centralisation of acute care at Watford General has already been agreed and Hemel Hempstead will join the QEII in becoming a local general hospital.
St Albans City, once thought to be a candidate for closure because of the value of the land on which it sits, is to house the West Herts surgicentre which will concentrate on planned admissions to hospital.
A specially-convened meeting of all the health trusts involved in hospital care was held last week and despite consultation showing a lot of support for QEII remaining as an acute hospital, the meeting agreed its own preferred options.
Both QEII and Hemel Hempstead will still provide outpatient, diagnostic and minor treatments as well as having an urgent care centre which is expected to treat around 65 per cent of people who attend A&E at the moment.
Six additional urgent care centres will be established across the county, one at St Albans City, and children's emergency and planned care in West Herts will be centralised at Watford General Hospital.
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26th December 2007 - Final nail in the coffin for the QE2...
The Welwyn and Hatfield Times :
THE final nail in the coffin for the QE2 Hospital has been hammered in.
At 4.40pm last Wednesday, health bosses confirmed the inevitable and announced the WGC hospital had lost out to the Lister.
Hospital chiefs voted at the meeting, held at the Fielder Centre, Hatfield, that major services such as A&E and maternity will be centralised at the Stevenage site.
Almost half of 300 people anticipated to attend were present to observe board members dismiss public opinion favouring the QE2 and opt for the Lister on financial and clinical grounds.
...
However, in talking about the two general hospital sites in WGC and Hemel Hempstead, the PCT board was reluctant to be more specific on timescales or what would be at either site.
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19th December 2007 - Hospital troubleshooter admits serious problems
Hemel Today :
The new hospital boss in West Herts has admitted to 'serious problems' following the decision to shift planned surgery to St Albans.
Jan Filochowski, an NHS troubleshooter appointed a month ago to turn around West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust, says 40 operations a week - or five per cent - were being cancelled when he arrived.
He says this is because theatre staff in Hemel Hempstead and Watford have quit rather than work in St Albans.
Mr Filochowski, who has been in the post of chief executive for a month, says lessons must be learned before full emergency services are moved to Watford next August.
He also said between April and June this year the trust was 'probably the worst in the country' for A&E waiting times, but was now on target.
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Wednesday 19th December 2007 - New boss admits the Trust has failed and is obsessed by money
Save Hemel.com : More and more people will potentially come to harm as our Hospital service is broken up. We must all speak together, now
to pull apart the Hospital Trust. New Boss, Mr Filochowski has not stopped closure plans and acknowledges the system has failed on it current plans. We must all now back a move to evict the entire Hospital Trust. People have spoken and are saying
the closure of our Hospital services affects our right to life - many believe their acts are against our Human Rights.
We must not let them continue with misleading terms such as 'Local General Hospital' which means nothing more than a small Doctors surgery - To the trust: we are not fools - and we do not accept your distrustful and distructive nature any more. Prepare to have the people stand together and prevent your actions in every legal way possible.
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This is Hertfordshire Hospital boss admits failings
A FLAGSHIP new surgery centre in St Albans has been overwhelmed with serious problems with hundreds of operations cancelled, new hospital chief Jan Filochowski has admitted.
The Elective Care Centre, which opened at St Albans City Hospital in September to treat patients across west Hertfordshire, was already struggling to cope by the time of its grand opening by Mayor Kate Morris on October 12.
Badly planned and understaffed, the centre was seeing as many as five per cent of procedures routinely cancelled.
Mr Filochowski, an NHS troubleshooter appointed last month as chief executive of the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "This is a good facility, but it has had really serious problems - that became apparent almost immediately.
"People said we had teething problems, but I realised it was much more than that."
Thanks to his efforts to recruit new theatre staff, cancellation rates have recently improved to 2.5 per cent, but that still means around 20 patients a week are being sent home untreated.
And with theatre staff in short supply nationally, it could be as long as three months before the centre is working as it should.
Ironically, the Elective Care Centre was opened partly to avoid cancellations by separating planned operations from emergency care.
Mr Filochowski said: "We did not think through the way it would work.
"We did not staff it enough - we were so concerned with saving money. A number of staff from Watford or Hemel Hempstead decided they did not want to work in St Albans and we did not allow for that."
Managers have found themselves desperately ringing round to staff the next day's operations, spending huge sums on expensive agency workers.
And with the trust under government pressure to perform all cancelled operations within 28 days, it has been forced to spend even more money transferring patients to private hospitals.
St Albans MP Anne Main said: "The real problem here has been a schedule which is too ambitions, causing operations to be cancelled due to staff shortages.
...Mr Filochowski, who has been appointed on an interim basis after a devastating Healthcare Commission report led to the resignation of his predecessor David Law, is insisting bosses planning new facilities in Watford learn from the St Albans debacle.
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Herts 24 QE2 'death warrant' to be signed today.
THE QE2 Hospital as we know it will be pronounced dead today.
Health chiefs will gather at a crunch meeting to read the last rites for the WGC hospital.
The NHS pall-bearers will ride roughshod over public opinion as they declare a new lease of life for the Lister in Stevenage.
It means major services, such as maternity and A&E, will be moved up the jam-packed A1(M) motorway.
The QE2, which is just 44 years old, may then be resurrected as a local general hospital.
This is the expected outcome of today's D-Day meeting of the four NHS trust and PCT boards which cover the county.
Mourners will gather to pay their last respects at the Fielder Centre in Hatfield where, firstly, the final report on the public consultation will be presented.
Hopes of an 11th hour stay of execution for the QE2 were all but dashed when these papers were published last week.
...TODAY is a bleak one for the people of Welwyn Hatfield.
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Hemel Online Hospital troubleshooter admits serious problems.
The new hospital boss in West Herts has admitted to 'serious problems' following the decision to shift planned surgery to St Albans.
Jan Filochowski, an NHS troubleshooter appointed a month ago to turn around West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust, says 40 operations a week - or five per cent - were being cancelled when he arrived.
He says this is because theatre staff in Hemel Hempstead and Watford have quit rather than work in St Albans.
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Tuesday 18th December 2007 - As Hemel explodes again, the people demand a full Hemel Hempstead Hospital to avoid massive tolls on our lives.
Chiltern FM : Hemel Fire
Peoples lives were put at serious risk today when a large waste and recycling plant in Hemel Hempstead industrial estate caught fire and proceeded to burn through highly flammable materials, diesel fuel tanks.
Local residents who feared a repeat of the Buncefield Oil Depot explosion and fire tried to escape from the local area, whilst major roads such as the M1 and A41 became blocked with congestion and accidents as people escaped and watched the blaze.
MP Mike Penning was at the scene and praised the emergency services and Fire Brigade that attended, whilst drawing attention to the risk to life posed as Hospital facilities are closed in a town facing major industrial and residential growth.
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Save Hemel.com : Personal View : More and more people start to panic about the people in charge of our Hospital services and continue to demand the Trusts resignation.
Its frightening to think this is our second major warning that we need a Hemel Hempstead Hospital with all facilities including acute care, A&E and childrens services. The A41 was severely congested as was the M1, which would have cause potential dealths if people needed urgent hospital care. SaveHemel.com have asked how many major distasters can Hemel suffer before we realise that our emergency services are essential - and should not be based far away next to busy football stadiums.
Thank God no one was seriously hurt. Hemel is a major industrial and populated new town, with massive plans to expand it further. We must surely now realise that our hospital is essential and cannot be taken from us - because if it is, then the next to be taken would probably be our lives and the lives of our families and friends.
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Save Hemel.com : Personal Story : Whilst Hemel Hempstead Hospital staff work hard, Watford Hospital staff continue to suffer long hours and over-stretched and failing services which causes major and potentially lethal stress to a pregnant woman.
In june last year <2006> i developed a cist, extreamly large and very painful. as hemel "didnt have the STAFF" i had to travel by mini bus (supplied by the hospital) horrible unconfortble thing... to watford hospital. i did not want to go there at all any way as a few of my friends had bad experiences there with labour and i had heard other stories (none of them good) about the staff and the hospital in general. so i didnt really get seen to for a few hours and i know i only got a bed by chance. they were packed full on the ward i was on. any way i was examined EVENTUALY and was told i would need an opperation that day. so i waited and waited in agony the whole time untill finally i had my operation just after midnight that night. when i came round the first thing i wanted to know was if my baby was ok (i was 4 months pregnant at the time) they then told me, you wont hear the heart beat yet its too early in the pregnancy. i know that they had lied to my face because i had already had the heart beat checked 4 times just that day because of the pain relief i was having. they continued to fob me off well into the after noon. i couldnt sleep i just cried because i thort that they knew that something bad had happened to my baby while i was having the opp. then finally around 3 in the afternoon a nurse came and asked why i was crying, and i explained that they wouldnt check my baby, and she said no problem ill do it now. and she did and my baby was fine. it took all of 30 seconds for her to put my mind at ease.
also the attitude of the 2 nurses that were supposidly """LOOKING AFTER ME""" were disgusting, i was talked down to and practicly laughed at because i was in so much pain and they didnt believe me.
hemel deserves its own hospital i am appaled that it may not be saved. disgusting. i will NOT be using watford again. i wouldnt even have an animal treated there
this is just my view of the watford hospital but i have 2 children and i wouldnt want my kids to be treated that way!
I want to keep hospital services in Dacorum: on
Closure of Hemel Hempstead Hospital facilities are against my human rights: on
CLICK TO COMMENT...
Save Hemel.com : Personal Story : Hemel Hempstead Hospital continues to serve whilst those in charge continue to pull apart the peoples life support services.
Last friday i was rushed by my partner to hemel hospital unable to breathe and being 19 weeks pregnant added to my distress, luckly we were only 5 minutes away and i was taken straight through to resus.
The staff were brilliant and soon established i had a collapsed lung, the nurse taken care or me in resus was great and kept us informed every step of the way, she said it was good that we got there as quick as we did as the oxygen in my blood was getting less and less, i asked her (and a porter) if they were going to move onto watford when the hospital closed and they both said no, it seems such a shame to lose porters,doctors and nurses not to mention all the people we dont see in this way, good forbid anything happening to my children or any child in hemel .
I want to keep hospital services in Dacorum: on
I think Trust bosses should quit: on
Closure of Hemel Hempstead Hospital facilities are against my human rights: on
CLICK TO COMMENT...
Friday 14th December 2007 - The path of distruction spreads further as the rot sets in...
This is Hertfordshire : QEII campaign looks doomed.
HEALTH chiefs are almost certain to relocate emergency treatment from the QEII Hospital to Stevenage's Lister when they meet on Wednesday.
An official recommendation to the board of Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust in favour of the Lister is contained in papers published today.
The decision would fly face of the majority of consultation responses and a vigorous local campaign backing the Welwyn Garden City hospital, and could well be challenged in the courts.
Another key recommendation backs the continuation of planned surgery at St Albans City Hospital rather than in Hemel Hempstead.
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Sunday 13th December 2007 - And they said their actions have no relevant impact on human life...
Herts 24 : Stroke victim's long wait.
A STROKE victim has been waiting for more than a month for a scan which could save his life.
David Atkinson, aged 65, of New House Park, St Albans, suffered a stroke in November and was taken to Hemel Hempstead Hospital where he received exemplary treatment.
But he was subsequently told by his consultant that although he needed an MRI scan, that could be some weeks away. However, it was important that he had a Control Doppler ultra scan on his arteries which would show if there were any signs of blockage and could be dealt with straightaway.
That was nearly five weeks ago and Mr Atkinson was still waiting for an appointment. Even though he had put in numerous phone calls to the stroke unit at Hemel Hempstead, he had not been given an appointment for the scan at Watford General.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Friday 30th November 2007 - SUPRISE SURPRISE : And the thing people are concerned about most? Not making it in time when they try to pull down our Hospital services
Borehamwood and Elstree Times : The big picture of health.
Transport links and hospital parking were the main issues Hertfordshire residents raised at a health consultation meeting last week.
More than 100 representatives of community organisations, patient groups and local authorities gathered last Monday to hear the findings of the Delivering Quality Health Care for Hertfordshire consultation.
During the consultation, which ran from June to October, more than 6,000 questionnaires were returned, along with more than 300 letters and emails from residents and community organisations.
The most common concerns emerging from the responses, as well as feedback received through public events, were about travelling distance to hospitals and car parking provision.
Sixty per cent of respondents expressed opposition to the proposed centralisation of children's emergency care and surgery for West Hertfordshire residents to Watford General Hospital.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Friday 30th November 2007 - New boss, same old (dis)Trust.
Herts 24 : Strong medicine for hospital ills.
MAJOR problems are besetting St Albans City Hospital as it settles into its new role as a planned surgery unit, and centralising emergency care at Watford will be a "massive task".
Who says so? None other than the new interim chief executive of the beleagured West Herts Hospital Trust (WHHT) Jan Filochowski who has been in post for just three weeks.
In his first interview since being parachuted in to restore the fortunes of WHHT which emerged as one of the four worst Trusts in the country in recent Healthcare Commission tables, he is under few illusions about the size of the task he faces.
But the fact that he believes it can be turned around within a year says a lot not just about the man himself but also the plight of WHHT.
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Wednesday 28th November 2007 - The Trust is speaking KlEarLy - We know what we mean, you don't have to. Confused?
Hemel Online : Fact or fiction leaflet fails to allay hospital closure fears.
An NHS leaflet intended to clarify the future of Hemel Hempstead Hospital has caused confusion by implying the site is closing.
Patients and visitors have been left scratching their heads over the handout, which suggests it is a fiction that the hospital is not closing and states both a fact and a fiction that the changes will produce better healthcare.
Entitled Fact or Fiction the pamphlet states: 'Fiction: The hospital is not closing'.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Wednesday 24th October 2007 - Health 'Chief' David Law was just a fall guy. Public and the local MP all DEMAND total resignation of Hospital Trust Board
Hemel Today : Law is 'fall guy' says MP in call for all management team to go.
MP Mike Penning has renewed his call for the entire hospital management team to go in the wake of David Law's departure.
The MP says Mr Law has been made the 'fall guy' for the deep-rooted failings at West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust.
In a fresh blow to the trust the Audit Commission, a finance watchdog, has given it the lowest possible rating for its financial affairs, describing it as having 'inadequate performance'.
This follows hard on the heels of findings by the Healthcare Commission which put it in the bottom five per cent of trusts in the country for quality of services and use of resources.
"What are the other board members doing?" he said.
"They sat there while this was going on.
"David Law is gone, but that is part of the problem not all of the problem."
Veteran campaigner Zena Bullmore said: "He destroyed Hemel hospital, when it has the best buildings in Hertfordshire and the best position in West Herts for access, transport and roads.
"I have never understood what was behind it all.
"Patients, nurses and doctors must come before money and deficits if healthcare is to work.
"That was forgotten by David Law and his team. He got through 10 chief finance officers in his three years."
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Save Hemel.com : We want the trust to admit they are all to blame and do the only decent thing they can and resign.
For years we have followed the health trusts gross abuse of power at the top. During their time they have created massive debts and closed services. We have heard that 'extra investment' has been made during their time, but all they have created is chaos and substantial mental and physical pain for patients, family and staff.
A day does not pass without the trusts own demoralised hospital staff speaking out against their intended destruction of Hospital services. Ambulance chiefs tell us there is no difference in journey time, whilst the ambulance drivers regularly snubb trust chiefs and admit the system is in absolute meltdown. Whilst services are moved, the public picks up the transport and consequential environmental tab - it costs hundreds of thousands in extra fuel to get sick and dying adults and children to services miles away.
As a member of the public declared in a recent 'Trust meeting in public' "How can you expect us to trust you when you don't even have the trust or faith of any of your own staff?". Following an ovation from the attending public, the Trust responded by showing us a list of services in Watford - once again showing they were probably listening to headphones instead of any member of the public they serve and obtain tax to pay their salaries from.
One member of the public said 'When I went to the meeting, I was deeply concerned. What made me realise these people really did live in their own world was when they said to be it was nice to see someone young interested in the hospital for a change instead of just older people. I was shocked! They obviously are totally ignorant of the 5,500 young people that have joined the online petition and action group at www.myspace.com/hemelhempsteadtown - proving that it isnt just David Law that is responsible for failure."
Another lady at the same meeting described how IT systems had failed during an urgent x-ray of a young child. After being sent to Watford and then sent all over the hospital, the consultant or doctor that was booked to look at the x-ray couldn't get the x-ray up on his PC and on calling the IT department heard an automated message instructing them to wait until the next working day for support - leaving the child in pain without suitable treatment. One man may certainly have taken the fall, but that is not enough - the rest of the trust should go now.
To the trust we say this - We, the public demand your resignation - understand that we have served you notice and expect you to leave along with your chairman. We will no longer accept woodworm in our Health service. Hospitals are about LIFE. Our lives - that we shall vigerously defend.
CLICK TO COMMENT...
Hemel Today : Broken promises and cuts behind Law's departure.
David Law joined West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust in 2001 as director of planning and performance, though he has worked in the NHS in the area since 1998.
His arrival at the trust came just two years after campaigners claimed a success in their long battle to keep full services in Hemel Hempstead when a health minister ruled out a new 'superhospital' for West Hertfordshire.
It was ordered that acute services should remain in both Hemel Hempstead and Watford 'for the foreseeable future'.
But in 2001 proposals were drawn up to close maternity services and the special care baby unit in Hemel Hempstead, on the grounds there were not enough staff to run a safe service.
The threat drew one of the strongest reactions from the community in recent times.
In December of that year an unprecedented 52,000-signature petition was delivered to 10 Downing Street against the move.
However, the departments were temporarily closed for a period of time 'on safety grounds' before a permanent shutdown in 2002.
In his position as director of planning, Mr Law must have played a major part in these decisions.
In the same year the infamous Investing In Your Health consultation was launched with the aim of reducing the number of acute sites in Hertfordshire.
There was another groundswell of support for the hospital with a 23,000-signature petition and the Hands Around The Hospital demonstration attended by thousands.
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Monday 22nd October 2007 - DAVID LAW GONE, NOW PUBLIC DEMAND TOM HANAHOE AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD GO.
Save Hemel.com : Public group together in a mass and demand resignation of the rest of the Trust Board and for closed services to be reinstated and plans to sell Hospital land and buildings to be scrapped following the admission of failure and responsibility of previous Trust boss.
Since the Herts Hospital Trust boss David Law quit following massive pressure from the public, press and MPs, the public have renewed their fight to keep Hospital services open across Dacorum. The public are now calling for the resignation of Tom Hanahoe and other trust bosses and for the appointment of true 'guardians of our health' to safe guard our basic human right to full local services that we pay for.
A major music event dubbed 'Health Aid Dacorum' is being planned to raise funds and support. We want to hear YOUR VIEWS now, CLICK to COMMENT or call 0870 896 59 52 to make your comment!
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What follows are personal letters regarding the Hospital Trust and the threat to our healthcare services. Savehemel.com would like to hear your comments.
"I have been a Labour voter much of my life, and even during the recent Hospital abuses, I have continued to believe that Hospital closure and restructuring was caused by non-political civil servants. How wrong I have been. My father received a circular from the local Labour party with words clearly saying the hospital is not closing. If maintaining a glorified 24 hour GP surgery is a full hospital service, then she is correct - but a hospital is a much greater and more important thing than a glorified GP surgery. The newsletter was nothing more than a lie - a political game. I feel shamed to have supported a party that has done this. It is wrong and is a gross abuse of our basic human rights to remove local health services that we both pay for and rely upon. Note the word local - distance often has a significant deciding factor when life is at stake and also how much time we can spend with loved ones in care - as has been seen in recent news articles and from my own personal experience.
A man recently stood up in a Hospital meeting with the Trust and implied that all Hospital campaigners were merely Conservative voters trying to stir up trouble. Well, a conservative voter I have not been. In fact, although most hospital campaigners leave the political noise out of protest, many are (or were) Labour supporters to my knowledge - making this argument very silly indeed. I question his reason for making such a statement.
The reason heated arguments have taken place at hospital meetings is not because of political stunts - it is because people that have followed changes and proposals are not only worried, they are scared of the impact to life, and as in my case have been subject to the consequences of the closures that have taken place and are intended to take place. I am deeply concerned that this should not become 'just more political currency' and should be taken as a very serious life changing issue that is currently being treated only as a financial concern.
We have been completely aware that we, the public have been misled by countless presentations of 'modernisation' options describing benefits of so called 'new services' with closures needed to fund them. In fact, these benefits have long existed, such as having local full A&E including childrens' services and special care maternity facilities at local hospitals. Many services have been closed on the newest of sites leaving old and outdated facilities in faraway places. What is given with one hand already existed, whilst the other hand take away continually.
David Law was nothing more than a hatchet man. Someone chosen for the unpopular task of disembowelling our Hospital System at great cost and loss so that it can be shown as failing - with the only option being to embrace 'new investment'. It is an engineered dream that shamefully relies on the public simply playing along like a willing and loyal dog. We are not that foolish - we can see as clear as day what has been done and what will happen next. A scape goat is not enough - we need new custodians of our paid for local health services.
Don't misread what I have said - I am in favour of modernisation and progression - but what has happened under the Health 'Trust' has been neither and will continue to be nothing more than an engineered closure for a purpose that is currently unclear. Whatever its intended end after assuming the value of the land hospitals are sited on, we need to fight now to prevent any more closures and to reopen services at our local hospitals. Furthermore, we need to dispel the lies spread by those only interested in party based politics. Our Hospital is still at risk, and our motivation is our lives."
Even though key speakers were late to a hospital trust meeting in Watford (over 45mins) due to traffic, they lied and said it was very rare. It's not rare - it happens ALL THE TIME.
My daughter was extremely ill May last year and was transferred to Watford from Hemel. The A41 was blocked by an accident so the ambulance driver had to go out to to the MI south . When we got to Watford it was gridlocked due to a Cup match. When we finally got to Vicarage road the police refused to allow the ambulance through despite the blue flashing light. We then faced a further 20 minute detoour around the time.
The ambulance driver said it was a regular problem - the A41 , the M1 , Watford's Ring Road and match days.
Below is another letter asking for the resignation of all trust bosses.
Just replying to ensure that we do everything to force ALL Trust bosses to resign. They are an absolute disgrace and the reason for our hospital going towareds closure!
I was also appalled at the story of Mrs Ritchie trying to reach Watford hospital to see her ill husband.
Anyway why would you want to close one hospital before the selected alternative has the capacity to deal with more emergencies? It is not logical and this just would not happen if this was in the private sector.
The following letter describes how someone was affected when they were forced to give birth at Watford even though Hemel Hospital was in eyesight.
Only a few short weeks before I was due to give birth, the birthing centre at Hemel Hospital was closed. A handwritten note taped to the door of the unit informed other expectant mothers and I than our ante-natal classes would continue, but to actually give birth we would have to travel to Watford hospital instead.
Our class teacher told us it was due to staff illness. The next week it was staff shortages. Then we discovered that part of the unit was being used as offices. There was so much uncertainty and worry - the last thing that you need when you're 8 months gone! My five minute trip down the road to Hemel hospital was going to be a trek to Watford instead. It wasn't so bad when my waters broke in the middle of the night - that was almost a pleasant journey watching the snow fall as my husband sped along the bypass.
This was February 2006 - quite a cold winter month for travelling. The midwifery staff were great - just a little while monitoring me and then we were sent back home - I felt every bump in those roads, worse for the four contractions I had on the way. I would only have had two at the most had we only had to come home to Adeyfield from Hemel Hospital.
The journey back to Watford in the morning took one hour thanks to the rush hour traffic - and we left home at 7am! Fortunately my husband could drive over or round the bumps slower, but we were both gritting our teeth and shaking like leaves by the time we arrived at Watford hospital. We were bitterly cold and very stressed from trying not to imagine what it would be like to deliver our first child on the A41 in the snow! Fortunately, our daughter was born in the Alexandra Birthing Centre at a healthy 5lbs, 1oz that afternoon. I had always wanted for our daughter to be born in Hemel Hempstead - we've a family tradition: my mum was one of the first babies to be born in the new town of Hemel Hempstead. I was born here as were my sister, my husband, his brother and more of our extended families.
And what's written on my little girls birth certificate: Watford. A wonderful birthing unit on our own doorstep with state of the art equipment getting dusty and my child is born miles away in a hospital than I can only describe as dingy.
Young, old and inbetween, all walks of life are standing together on this issue.
Come Health Secretaries,
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that is David Law
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is DHAG.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'!
The health system and old ways that governed our hospital have 'changed their sheets'. This is a clear indication that all we fought against, the denials and spin that attempted to cut us down were proved wrong. We must encourage the new Health Minister and Hospital Trust Chief Exec to ignore the mal-treatment of the hospital of the past and start afresh.
Saturday 20th October 2007 - HEALTH 'CHIEF' DAVID LAW RESIGNS
Hemel Online : Hospital boss resigns
The man in charge of running Hemel Hempstead Hospital has suddenly resigned.
David Law, chief executive at West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust, has stepped down in the face of damning results from an inspection.
The debt-ridden trust has been rated 'weak' for both use of resources and services by the Healthcare Commission.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Watford Observer : Hospital chief resigns
David Law, the man in charge of Watford General Hospital for the past three years, has resigned as chief executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
The announcement, in a statement released at 5.45pm today, followed calls for his resignation by Watford MP Claire Ward and Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning, after the publication of a Healthcare Commission report that rated the Trust as 'weak'.
It also ranked the Trust as one of the worst performing in the country.
Mr Law said: "It is with great regret that I resign from the Trust. My time here has been challenging but I think I leave the Trust in a better position than I found it.
"It is only right though that the responsibility for failings identified by the Healthcare Commission falls on the Chief Executive. I look forward to a bright future for the patients and staff of this Trust and I will miss the people and the place."
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Friday 19th October 2007 - MPs DEMAND TRUST BOSS SHOULD QUIT OR BE SACKED - DAVID LAW - ONE OF THE MEN BEHIND MONEY DRIVEN CLOSURES AND HOSPITAL LAND SELL-OFFS.
Watford Observer : MPs say hospital boss should go
Two MPs have called for the man in charge of Watford General Hospital to resign, after the release of a damning report into the state of affairs at the local health trust.
West Hertfordshire Hospital's NHS Trust was ranked as one of the worst performing trusts in the country in a study released yesterday.
The quality of service and financial management of the trust, which operates Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals, were rated as "weak" - the lowest possible rating - in a report by the Healthcare Commission.
This is the second year running the trust has received a "double weak" report, one of only four across the country.Despite Following the release of the report, Watford MP Claire Ward and Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning called for trust chief executive David Law to resign.
Ms Ward, a Labour MP, described David Law's position as "untenable" and demanded a review of the trust's entire management.
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Thursday 18th October 2007 - PROOF THAT CLOSING HEMEL HOSPITAL FACILITIES DOES NOT WORK AND HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON LIFE.
Hemel Today : Wife's three-hour hell to reach hospital.
Match-day gridlock meant an epic three-hour journey for Berkhamsted author Jean Ritchie as she rushed to her husband's bedside in Watford Hospital.
Ms Ritchie, whose journey would have taken 15 minutes if Hemel Hempstead Hospital still had the necessary facilities, was forced to contend with thousands of football fans heading to a match at Vicarage Road stadium next to Watford Hospital.
The former Sun journalist, who wrote an acclaimed book on Moors murderer Myra Hindley, said: "It was just chaotic - total gridlock and there was nowhere to go. I was very upset and began welling up out of sheer frustration."
Her terminally-ill husband, David Francis, also a former journalist, was being treated in hospital for a broken hip when his wife was called in by medical staff.
After sitting in stationary traffic for hours, Ms Ritchie, of Torrington Road, was told by police the road leading to the hospital was closed because of the football game.
She tried to find an alternative route and follow diversion signs, but like many residents in Dacorum was unfamiliar with the area.
Eventually, after arguing with a police officer she was allowed to travel down Vicarage Road, which is for the use of ambulances only during games.
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Herts Advertiser 24 : Personal items go missing during cancer treatment.
PERSONAL items belonging to a terminally-ill cancer patient were lost in the hospital where she was being treated.
Mary Watts, aged 58, of Heath Road, St Albans, who is now in the Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted, was admitted for procedures to be carried out at Hemel Hempstead Hospital in September.
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Herts Advertiser 24 : Superbug cases here worse than in ‘death’ Trust.
CASES of a hospital-acquired superbug are higher in West Herts than in the Trust where it emerged last week that 90 people had died.
West Herts Hospitals Trust, which runs hospitals in St Albans, Watford and Hemel Hempstead, had 230 cases of Clostridium difficile (C.diff) in the first three months of 2007, the sixth highest in the country.
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Hemel Today : The trust running Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been ranked 17th worst in the country
The trust running Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been ranked 17th worst in the country for infections.
West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust had 3.83 cases of clostridium difficile (C.diff) per 1,000 patients aged over 65 - well above the national average of 2.93.
The figures are the latest available from the Health Protection Agency.
They also show that in the first three months of this year the trust had a total of 230 infections – only five trusts countrywide had more.
The trust's infection rate is even higher than that at crisis-hit Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, where c.diff has been linked to 90 deaths.
The situation meant that a special team from the Department of Health visited the trust in August to draw up an action plan to tackle the problem.
Mr Penning, a shadow health minister, said it had been reported to him that a patient had died at Watford General Hospital in the past week because of C.diff.
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Watford Observer : Bosses defensive after health criticism.
HOSPITAL bosses are under intense pressure after an official report slammed the services relied on by St Albans residents.
Both the West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust and the primary care trust (PCT) which runs GP surgeries have been rated "weak" in the Healthcare Commission's review of 2006/7.
Secretary of State Alan Johnson has asked the Commission to perform a special inspection, and Claire Ward, Watford's normally ultra cautious MP, has already called for hospital trust boss David Law's resignation.
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25th September 2007 - A&E's should stay - Royal Medical Colleges report
MP Mike Penning's Save Hemel Hospital Site :
Mike Penning has welcomed a report commissioned by the Department of Health and undertaken by the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges which says that most District General Hospitals should be allowed to keep their A&E. The report which is published in today’s Health Service Journal states that there is no evidence to support the centralisation of high-volume, non-complex cases and most district hospitals should be able to “provide a full emergency service”.
Commenting on the report, Shadow Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, said:
“We welcome this report. Gordon Brown is misleading patients by saying that District General Hospitals should be downgraded. Sir Derek Wanless said so in his report last week and now the Royal Medical Colleges back up what David Cameron and I have been saying; that these hospital closures are being driven by financial deficits, the European Working Time Directive and the Government’s belief that bigger is better despite public outcry at limited access.
“Hospital closures are not being driven by clinical evidence.”
Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, where the local A&E is under threat added:
”No matter which way you look at it, the closure of Hemel’s A&E is a cost-cutting exercise and not remotely connected to providing a better healthcare service for the people of Hemel Hempstead.
“This is yet more proof that Hemel’s hospital shouldn’t be run down and closed.”
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18th September 2007 - Meeting sparks rumour of new 'mini hospital'
Hemel Today :
SPECULATION that a mini-hospital will be built on Dacorum College land allowing the Hillfield Road site to be sold fired a stormy public meeting on Thursday.
More than 100 people were at the packed gathering at St John's Church Hall in Boxmoor and tension was fuelled as many tried to get answers from representatives of the West Herts Primary Care Trust (PCT) on the future of the current hospital buildingsADVERTISEMENT.
Meanwhile two police community support officers, called in at the request of the PCT, stood by. The presence of the officers was said to be routine where numbers were expected to exceed the building's capacity.
The panel, including West Herts Hospitals Trust chief executive David Law, was reluctant to discuss the re-siting rumours but in a statement later the PCT firmly denied the idea.
Hospital campaigner Jan Maddern raised the issue at the meeting after hearing rumours that the college pulled out of Hemel Hempstead's town centre regeneration plan in order to sell its land to the NHS.
A spokesman for the college was unable to say whether the PCT had put in an offer for the land but said all bids were welcome.
Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning said: "There's a lot of suspicion because suddenly the college has pulled out of the council plans and wants to sell independently, and at the same time David Law has not denied that he will sell off the whole hospital land.
"I have asked him to tell me which part of the hospital land is safe and he tells me he can't comment on that.
"I don't know whether or not he's negotiating with the college but it is suspicious. There's something going on."
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5th September 2007 - Harriet's pledge over hospital.
Gazette :
Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman is to demand a full report on future plans for the town's hospital after hearing protests from residents during her visit to Hemel Hempstead today.
The Prime Minister's deputy leader also promised to set up a meeting between new government health minister, Alan Johnson, and Hemel Hempstead's prospective Labour parliamentary candidate, Ayfer Orhan.
Ms Harman said: "The hospital plans are a local decision making process as well as a national one and I have been just listening to people having their say and will discuss it in detail later with Ayfer."
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21st August 2007 - Mike Penning MP concerned at ambulance journey times study findings
MP Mike Penning's Save Hemel Hospital Site :
Reacting to an Emergency Medicine Journal report that research backs-up commonly held beliefs that there is a significantly greater risk of dying the further patients have to travel to get to hospital, Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, has again condemned the Government’s plans to close the A&E in Hemel.
“In effect this proves that the Government’s policy is a death-sentence for some of my constituents” he said.
The report was based on a study by the University of Sheffield of life-threatening (category A) calls for four ambulance services in England between 1997 and 2001. Only those who were unconscious, not breathing or had chest pain were included in the study. A total of 10,315 patients were studied and of those, 644 died, but the further patients had to travel by ambulance, the more likely they were to die.
Of the patients with breathing problems – the most high risk group – there was a 13% risk of dying if they had to travel between 10 and 20km. This increased to 20% if the distance was 20 or more km.
Mike said:
”This is very alarming news, the distance to Watford A&E from parts of Hemel, such as Woodhall Farm, are over 20km – let alone the distance to villages such as Potten End.
“This study highlights what to most of us is common sense. Patients suffering from heart or breathing problems or a suspected stroke need to get to a hospital quickly. Hemel residents are not convinced that this will be possible if they have to travel to Watford.
“Hemel needs an A&E. This is going to be even more critical if the town is to grow by a third – as planned by the Government. It simply just does not make sense.”
The distance between Hemel Hempstead A&E and Waford A&E is 15.1km. The distance between Sainsbury’s in Woodhall Farm and Watford A&E is 20.8km. (www.theaa.com)
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Wednesday 17th June 2007 - £38 to be spent on a 'revamp' that sees masses of services and established facilities close
Watford Observer : Hospital to get £38m revamp.
The £38million redevelopment of Watford General Hospital has been formally approved by the Department of Health.
Work on the project, which includes a new acute admissions unit containing 120 beds, a new CT scanner, x-ray and ultrasound facilities, will start by the end of this month. It is due to be completed by March 2009.
The new building will be adjoined to the A&E department and, according to hospital bosses, will allow patients to be diagnosed quicker by a greater number of senior doctors.
As a result of the changes, A & E at the Hemel site will shut and an and "urgent care centre", with closer links to GPs, will be created.
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Tuesday 16th June 2007 - Proof that if we stand together - our voices will be heard. Demand David Law and his trusts resignation and Demand a people / health focussed service NOW!
Cheshire Today : Brady lays the first brick in hospital unit.
ALTRINCHAM and Sale West MP Graham Brady called in at the minor injuries unit at Altrincham General Hospital last Friday.
The Altrincham and Sale West MP examined work carried out so far and laid the first brick in a £100,000 scheme to upgrade the minor injuries unit.
Two years ago the hospital was threatened with closure but a public campaign, backed by Mr Brady and supported by thousands of residents, meant that the hospital remained open and Trafford Healthcare Trust promised new investment to improve facilities and services.
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Full news update in progress
Tuesday 15th June 2007 - Gazette 'last ditch' hospital campaign
Hemel Today : The Gazette is calling on the community to raise £40,000 in two weeks to allow a legal challenge to the hospital's demise to go ahead.
The cash will only be needed if a judicial review in the High Court fails - if successful the money will be returned.
The judicial review, which if successful could force a rethink on health services in the town, offers the last lifeline to the embattled hospital.
To make a donation: Make cheque payable to Dacorum Hospital Action Group and send to: Zena Bullmore, DHAG, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1PA.
NB: Include your address so cheques can be returned if the challenge does not go ahead...
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Tuesday 12th June 2007 - Save OUR Hospital Services : DHAG Update.
DHAG NEWS : Case update...
We have just heard that the Gazette and HeraldExpress newspapers are about to launch an appeal to raise £60,000 in 2 weeks to enable our judicial review case to be heard. This is because we were unable to secure a Protective Costs Order which would have capped our costs at the amount that we had raised if we lost the case. If it hadn't been for the intervention of our local newspapers we would have had to pull out of the case so we are very grateful to them.
But now we need everyone in the community to respond to the newspapers' appeal to ensure there are enough funds in the kitty to support the case.
All contributions large or small will be welcomed. Everyone whatever their means needs safe and accessible hospital provision.
If you are interested in the dry-as-dust detail of recent developments, please read the briefing below.
As you know the Court granted us permission to go ahead with the case in March. The West Herts Hospital Trust had argued that our case was "without merit" but the Court disagreed and decided that we had an arguable case and should be allowed to present it. At the same time (in March) we expected the Court to rule on our application for a Protective Costs Order (PCO) which is a relatively new legal arrangement whereby, in a case which has a public interest/public importance element, the claimant's potential costs in the event of losing can be capped to a pre-set figure. In our case we asked for costs to be capped at £20,500, a relatively high sum. The Trust could have gone along with with our application but they opposed it.
Unfortunately the judge in March decided that he didn't have enough information to rule on the PCO so asked for more information. A different judge would then consider the issue on the papers. The judge who did this, in April, disallowed the application. Our legal team then renewed the application via an oral hearing in mid-May. Again it was turned down, as was permission to appeal. The lawyers then sought permission to appeal via the Appeal Court. There was an oral hearing about this last Friday and the appeal judge turned it down purely on the basis that the previous judge had exercised his discretion appropriately.
Obviously none of this has anything at all to do with the merits of our case for judicial review. The issue over the PCO appears to turn on how 'broad' a public interest has to be to qualify for a PCO. We obtained letters of support from a wide range of people and groups, including beyond Dacorum. These included the MPs for Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire South West and St. Albans, Lord Lyell of Markyate, Lord Corbett of Castle Vale, Community Action Dacorum, the British Legion, The Chair of the League of Friends of St. Albans City Hospital etc. All emphasised that this was a public interest issue and the case should be heard. We also stressed that the proper conduct of newer consultation processes such as citizens juries was an important issue of national public concern. (We have a mass of evidence that there were serious flaws in these events run last year by an external consultant on behalf of the Trust).
Another aspect of the PCO issue is that this is a new procedure and there are varying views among lawyers about how many (or few) are expected to be granted each year. Our legal team were successful in the landmark case over PCOs and are convinced that the judges who have ruled on our application are taking a much narrower view than is justifiable on the basis of that case. They are shocked by these rulings and are planning to write articles about this issue for the legal journals and The Times.
The hearing of the substantive case was scheduled for June 21st and 22nd, i.e. next week. The length of the process over the PCO has unexpectedly brought us very close to those dates. This is the situation that has led the local newspapers to launch the appeal rather than see the case collapse. The lawyers will now seek a postponement of the hearing for two weeks on the basis of this unexpected development. The lawyers continue to believe the case is a strong one.
Please note that the above represents my understanding of the legal issues. I am not a lawyer and therefore there may be points I have misunderstood.
Tuesday 15th April 2007 - SIGN THIS PETITION TO RETAIN BIRTHING FACILITIES IN HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
Save Hemel Maternity : Click here to sign and save our services!
CLICK TO VOTE NOW!...petitions.pm.gov.uk/hemelbirth/
Thursday 5th April 2007 - INVESTIGATION INTO WHY A SICK BABY WAS TURNED AWAY FROM HEMEL HOSPITAL...
Hemel Today : Baby's A&E brush-off
An enquiry has been launched at Hemel Hempstead Hospital following claims a sick baby was turned away from A&E.
Parents Hayley Smith and Jamie Howard took five-month-old Corey to casualty on Saturday night because he was vomiting and breathing strangely, his eyes were rolling and he had diarrhoea.
But they claim they were told to go to Watford General Hospital or face a wait of 'several hours' - even though no one had seen or assessed Corey.
Children's services at Hemel Hempstead Hospital were axed in 2005 and since then two reports have criticised the treatment of children in A&E, where there are no paediatric doctors at night.
But West Herts Hospitals Trust continues to insist that children can be seen in Hemel Hempstead and transferred to Watford, where there is 24-hour paediatric cover, if necessary.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Hemel Today : Hospital parking anger
Furious nurses at Hemel Hempstead Hospital are fed up with having to pay through the teeth go to work.
Some nurses are paying up to £60 a week to use the visitors' parking facilities because there are not spaces in the staff car park.
"It's outrageous. We don't get paid a great deal anyway. We should be allowed to park in the visitors area without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money. Why should we pay more just because there is not enough space?" said one angry nurse, who wished to remain anonymous.
The hospital has just 241 car parking spaces to accommodate the 1,500 members of staff.
It usually costs £6 a week to park there compared to £12.50 a day in the visitors' area. CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Wednesday 4th April 2007 - TRUST STAFF ARE 'DEMORALISED' - WHILE BABIES ARE BORN IN CAR PARKS...
This is Hertfordshire : Trust staff 'would not want to be patients'
NEARLY half of the staff at a NHS trust would not want to be patients in their own hospital, a shocking survey has revealed.
Just 22 per cent of staff questioned at the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs St Albans, Hemel Hempstead and Watford hospitals, said they would be happy with the standard of care provided if they were patients. Forty-eight per cent said they would be unhappy - giving the trust one of the worst results in England and Wales.
Last year the troubled trust reported a deficit of £26 million, and bosses are currently trying to centralise acute and emergency services at Watford General to "improve quality of care for local people".
St Albans MP Anne Main called the survey results "depressing". She said: "The staff are pretty demoralised with the reconfigurations that are going on. The staff are doing their best with very, very limited resources. I think they're suffering a huge loss of confidence."
Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Sandy Walkington added: "What does it say about our own local hospitals that half the staff have no confidence in the healthcare provided? This is a further searing indictment of what has been allowed to happen to the health service in west Hertfordshire.
"Any manager of a large organisation knows that staff surveys are barometers of the health and wellbeing of an organisation. If staff are unhappy, patients are going to be unhappy too."
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Hemel Today : Services for midwives in 'utter chaos'
Mike Penning MP has called an emergency meeting with junior health secretary Ivan Lewis, to discuss the maternity crisis facing pregnant women in Hemel Hempstead.
He told The Gazette: "Midwifery services are in utter chaos. I've had loads of worried mums complain to me that they're either not getting the back-up they had in previous pregnancies or, if they're first-time mums, that they're just being left to get on with it.
"This cannot be morally right and is very frightening especially for first-time mums."
The maternity unit of Hemel Hempstead Hospital closed in 2002 and moved to Watford. Although a midwife-led birthing unit opened in the maternity wing at Hemel Hempstead in 2003, it was closed by the end of 2005.
Ante-natal services still operated from the town's hospital until just before Christmas last year when they were discontinued.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
March 2007
Friday 29th March 2007 - FIGHT GATHERS PACE...
Herts Advertiser 24 : Court to probe hospital move
A JUDICIAL review will examine the consultation process leading to the decision to shut Hemel Hempstead Hospital's accident and emergency department which is the nearest casualty unit for many people in St Albans.
Meanwhile West Herts Hospitals Trust (WHHT) has confirmed it will go ahead with some interim work to enable St Albans City Hospital to admit patients for planned surgery as soon as possible.
The High Court ruled last week that there were grounds to investigate the decision by WHHT to centralise emergency health services at Watford where there are plans to build a new hospital.
It would mean the downgrading of A&E at Hemel and has resulted in Donald Giddings, an elderly heart patient from Hemel Hempstead, mounting a legal challenge with support from Dacorum Hospital Action Group (DHAG).
They claim the Trust Board was misled on the information provided to them by consultants which led to the decision to centralise acute hospital care at Watford and planned surgery at St Albans City Hospital.
Ron Glatter of DHAG explained that at least 76 per cent of people in West Herts wanted acute services maintained at Hemel Hospital but that was brushed aside in the report. He added: "At the minimum, we hope the whole consultation process will have to be run again as it was completely flawed."
The Judicial Review is expected to be heard by the end of April and DHAG is working with solicitors on further evidence.
A spokesperson for WHHT said that a number of allegations had been made against the trust in general and a number of individuals. All the allegations had been answered in responses from the trust made available to the courts.
In the meantime, WHHT had been given permission to proceed with interim works at St Albans City Hospital to ensure there was no delay in improving patient services once the judicial review took place.
St Albans MP Anne Main, who has been at the forefront of objections to the downgrading of Hemel A&E, said: "No irreversible changes can be made so some services could potentially be moved from Watford to St Albans in the interim. But this would not mean shutting A&E at Hemel so it gives us a chance to regroup, gauge opinion and pause for reflection."
She said she continued to have grave reservations about how her constituents would access the busy A&E at Watford particularly on match days - Watford football ground is next door - and pointed out that when A&E had been moved from St Albans, residents had been assured that Hemel Hempstead would be their local casualty unit.
Thursday 28th - TRUST TOLD BY COURT NOT TO MAKE IRREVERSIBLE CHANGES DURING INVESTIGATIONS
Hemel Today : Judge to rule on claim of 'hospital stitch-up'
The battle to keep vital services at Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been boosted by the announcement that a legal challenge to the cuts will take place.
The decision to move services out of the town will be the subject of a judicial review at the High Court in London, expected to take place in April.
In a groundbreaking case, the way in which the results of a public consultation were interpreted will form the basis of the review.
Solicitors acting for hospital supporters claim the conclusions of citizen juries were misrepresented and the views of large numbers of people ignored, meaning the decision to axe services should be quashed.
The case, thought to be among the first of its kind, is likely to have implications for NHS consultations up and down the country.
A judge at the High Court, in granting leave for the judicial review, said the trust could only proceed with service changes which could be reversed pending the final outcome.
MP Mike Penning said: "I fully support Mr Giddings in his challenge to the outrageous slashing of healthcare in Dacorum.
"The so-called public consultation was a complete sham and it should be clear to anyone with an ounce of common sense that a town the size of Hemel needs an A&E department.
"Mr Giddings is right to be concerned that without an A&E his health is at risk. He is by no means alone as there are many people like him throughout Dacorum."
Mr Giddings is being represented by the solicitors Leigh, Day and Co, who have set out his case in letters to the trust and its lawyers.
Much of the case centres on work done to interpret the consultation results and the organisation of a citizens' jury.
The consultation included questionnaires sent out to members of the public, the views of a citizens' panel, and two juries.
A letter dated January 17 claims members of a citizens' jury were presented with a 'superficial and biased analysis of the issues'.
Hemel Today : Birth Centre petition gathers pace
ALMOST 300 people have now signed a petition to the Prime Minister calling for the re-opening of Hemel Hempstead Hospital's Birthing Centre.
The award winning centre was closed by the health trust last year in a cost cutting move but an e-petition to Tony Blair was set up by a local woman last month.
In Her petition Tanya Reynolds says: "We ask this as this unit has recently been closed down. Thus meaning that all those who are expecting their babies, consequently face a 4hr journy to Watford General Hospital.
"It has become common knowledge that this hospital does not have the staff, the equipment or the pacience to deal with such a High volume of births. Women in labour are being turned away due to overcrowding. Cesareans are being performed to hurry things up and an average of 12 babies a week are born in Watford Generals Car Park!
"This is unacceptable. No warning was given about the closure of this unit. During the christams period (2006) the ward closed due to staff sickness and was never re-opened. The 3 year old dept is now being used as office space."
Friday 23rd - HIGH COURT APPROVES JUDICIAL REVIEW IN A PROCESS THAT COULD STOP HOSPITAL BOSSES IN THEIR TRACKS!
Watford Observer : Health service plans in doubt
PLANS to centralise emergency health services in Watford have been thrown into uncertainty this week after a High Court ruling to review the closure of Hemel Hempstead's A&E.
A judicial review of the decision to close the department at Hemel Hempstead Hospital was granted yesterday.
It comes after claims that the consultation process leading to the decision was flawed.
Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning said: "The so-called public consultation was a complete sham and it should be clear to anyone with an ounce of common sense that a town the size of Hemel needs an A&E department."
Acute services including A&E, intensive care, complex surgery and women's and children's services for West Hertfordshire are to be centralised in Watford as part of cost saving measures.
West Hertfordshire MP David Gauke welcomed the review, saying: "I have got a lot of concerns about the impact of the reconfiguration and whether Watford General can cope with the increased use which will follow.
"I also have my concerns about how the consultation process was done and I think that the local hospital trust has got a case to answer.
"We have a real crisis on our hands and what is proposed is not necessarily going to provide a solution."
At the time of going to press a representative from West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust was not available for comment.
Thursday 22nd - LEGAL CHALLENGE TO GO AHEAD AND TRUST IS TO BE RE-INVESTIGATED...
Hemel Today : Hospital legal challenge to go ahead
THE long campaign to keep vital services at Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been boosted with the announcement that a legal challenge will take place.
The decision by West Herts Hospitals Trust to move full A&E services and planned surgery out of the town will be the subject of a judicial review at the High Court in London.
The trust plans to move these services to Watford and St Albans to help plug debts totalling millions of pounds.
St. Albans Observer : Health service plans in doubt
PLANS to centralise emergency health services in Watford have been thrown into uncertainty this week after a High Court ruling to review the closure of Hemel Hempstead's A&E.
Hemel Today : Health test set for Trust
Health and safety inspectors will be returning to West Herts Hospitals Trust to carry out a check-up following a prosecution that took place last year.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is checking on progress since the trust was fined £17,000 for breaching regulations.
Since that time maintenance problems have plagued the trust, with incidents including the case of an operating table collapsing with an anaesthetised patient on it.
"No doubt they will pick up things, and we would expect them to, where we can do better,".
Wednesday 21st - HEMEL BIRTH CENTRE - Reopening considered while the dire state of Childrens A&E is criticized by officials...
Hemel Today : Hospital's A&E care for children 'insufficient'
Emergency care for children at Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been criticised by health watchdogs.
The hospital is accused of providing 'insufficient cover during the day to ensure effective life support in serious emergencies'.
Children's care at Hemel Hempstead Hospital has been the subject of a number of cutbacks and has received heavy criticism.
The overnight ward has closed and a promised A&E department dedicated to children was never built.
A 15-month-old baby from Hemel Hempstead died from meningitis last year following delays in treatment after going to A&E and then being transferred to Watford.
Hemel Today : Rethink over closure of Hemel Birth Centre
Hospital chiefs are looking at ways of reopening the Hemel Birth Centre following its closure at the end of 2005.
The award-winning unit was shut down because West Herts Hospitals Trust said it did not have the money or the staff to keep it open.
But now the trust has opened the door to its return by announcing a rethink on the closure.
The unit was shut despite widespread protests and a petition signed by thousands of concerned residents across Dacorum.
A public consultation on the closure took place last year and despite strong support for the unit the hospitals trust decided to keep it closed.
But now there appears to have been an extraordinary about-turn.
Chief executive David Law told a trust board meeting last week: "We need to come to a conclusion about the Hemel Birth Centre.
"We had an emergency closure on safety grounds. We will be consulting on continuing the closure or opening that service again.
"It would need to be financially viable, but we are looking at a different model that could make it financially viable."
The unit, for low-risk births, opened in 2003 to soften the blow of the loss of maternity services and the special care baby unit.
It became increasingly popular but the trust, struggling with debts of millions of pounds, closed it three years later.
Hemel Today : Hospital bosses caught in midwife staffing crisis
A shortage of midwives has come to light at Watford Hospital, where all expectant Dacorum mums are now sent for delivery since the closure of the maternity wing in Hemel Hempstead.
West Herts Hospitals Trust has been advertising midwife vacancies and has so far managed to fill the equivalent of three full-time posts with part-time staff.
But the hospital needs at least twice that number to boast full staffing of one full-time midwife for every 33 births.
The vacancies follow the closure of birthing units at nearby St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals.
Hemel Today : Trust fails to meet targets in battle to eradicate killer bug
The trust was singled out in a report this week for exceeding its monthly target.
The East of England Strategic Health Authority named the trust, in a report to its board, as one of 11 trusts to miss its target despite an overall drop by 118 cases in hospitals throughout the region.
Sunday 11th - People save while Trusts cut cut cut! - Bosses or Butchers?
DACORUM HOSPITAL ACTION GROUP NEWS : Thankyou!
Thank you all, but especially the fund-raising subcommittee of DHAG, for the tremendous effort you have made, and continue to make, in raising funds from the community towards the legal costs.
The response from the public has been really heartening and shows how well aware people are of the need to retain acute and planned services at Hemel Hempstead hospital.
We have the support of GPs and hospital staff too.
Zena Bullmore, MBE. DHAG.
The Herts Advertiser : Free minibus to be scrapped
A FREE minibus service running between Watford General and Mount Vernon hospitals is to be scrapped.
The move is the latest cost cutting measure by cash-strapped West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
Saturday 10th - Fighting for survival...
DACORUM HOSPITAL ACTION GROUP NEWS : Legal action... current state of play.
All the preliminary papers and witness statements from both sides have now been lodged into Court and we expect to hear quite soon, probably in about a week, whether the judge will grant us permission to proceed with the case. If permission is granted, the case should be decided by the end of April.
Our application is for a judicial review of the Hospital Trust Board's decisions last November (to centralise acute services at Watford and - on an interim basis - planned surgery at St Albans) because of the many defects in the consultation process on which those decisions were based and the misleading way its results were reported to the Board. The overwhelming support for Hemel hospital was not properly considered by the Board but was dismissed out of hand. Also the decisions did not take account of the announcement that was made shortly before the Trust Board meeting that the planned new hospital at Hatfield will not be built.
Ron Glatter. DHAG.
Thursday 8th - Getting funds...
The Herts Advertiser : Concern raised over emergency care for children
EMERGENCY children's care is not up to scratch at Hemel Hospital Hospital, a healthcare watchdog has warned.
A report by the Healthcare Commission found that the hospital, which covers St Albans, was one of eight in the country failing to provide adequate advanced paediatric life-support skills and cover for children in serious emergencies.
Hemel Online : Action group out to collect
Campaigners will be out on Saturday raising cash for the fight against the downgrade of Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
Dacorum Hospital Action Group (DHAG) wants to raise around £8,000 to support the legal challenge to a service shake-up that will leave the town stripped of key services.
Thursday 1st - Mass shortage of beds predicted if bosses get there way...
Herts 24 : Hospital bed shortag fears
THE MERGER of local hospital services would create a shortage of 100 beds for patients, according to campaigners
All acute services in West Herts are to be centralised at Watford Hospital which itself is due to be replaced by a new hospital on the same site.
In the meantime, a prefab block with 120 beds will be built at Watford to replace acute beds being closed at Hemel Hospital.
Dacorum Hospital Action Group (DHAG) have warned that this will still leave a bed deficit of more than 100 because the block will replace around 250 beds in Hemel.
Zena Bullmore, chair of DHAG, said: "They have not even had the decency to wait, as promised, until the new Watford Hospital is built before decanting Hemel Hempstead acute services to an already over-crowded Watford Hospital, where buildings and equipment needs replacement."
February 2007
Wednesday 28th - Hospital bosses snub Council meetings. SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION NOW!
Downing Street E-Petitions : A national petition has been set up to help keep ALL local hospitals open.
Please click here now to sign the petition.
Thanks for all your support.
Hemel Today : Council waits to hear from Trust on lost meeting
TRING Town Council has had no reply from hospital bosses about their last-minute decision not to attend a council meeting.
West Herts NHS Hospitals Trust cancelled a public meeting on the day it was due to be held.
At the time of cancelling the meeting the Trust said that a legal challenge regarding the decision to downgrade Hemel Hempstead Hospital would make it inappropriate for a speaker to attend.
Hemel Today : Legal action challenge to Trust decision
Campaigners expect to hear within a month whether permission will be granted for a judicial review of the decision to downgrade Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
Papers have been served at the High Court and a decision from the judge is expected in the second or third week of March.
The action is being taken by pensioner Donald Giddings backed by Dacorum Hospital Action Group and Dacorum Borough Council.
Lawyers acting for Mr Giddings say an injunction against the trust would be an option if it tries to move services from Hemel Hempstead before the review.
Rosa Curling, of solicitors Leigh Day & Co, said: "From our point of view they should take no steps at all to implement decisions they made on November 16 that are the subject of judicial review."
Thursday 22nd - Thankyou for saving my life"
St. Albans Observer : Legal challenge launched
A LEGAL challenge to the proposed major shift of hospital services from Hemel Hempstead to Watford has been launched.
St Albans MP Anne Main said she supported the challenge and hoped it would be successful as Watford would be much more difficult to get to for most people in St Albans.
She said: "I am glad someone is challenging the trust.
"It will cost them money they can ill afford, but if it stops this slash-and-burn approach to hospital services then it will be worthwhile.
"People in St Albans are desperately unhappy about what has been done - they will have to trek through heavy Watford traffic."
Tuesday 20th - St. Albans joins the fight!
St. Albans Observer : Health boss defends hospital decisions
THE region's health chief this week brushed off criticism about the closure of Harpenden Memorial Hospital.
Despite a wave of local protest and heavy campaigning, the hospital, known as the Red House, officially shut its doors last month.
Monday 19th - Closures everywhere- Fight before it's too late!
St. Albans Observer : Health boss defends hospital decisions
THE region's health chief this week brushed off criticism about the closure of Harpenden Memorial Hospital.
Despite a wave of local protest and heavy campaigning, the hospital, known as the Red House, officially shut its doors last month.
Thursday 15th - Patients refused transport between Hospital locations even before they attempt to close sites down!
Herts Advertiser : No place on minibus for hospital visit
A HOSPITAL visitor who used an inter-site minibus to get from St Albans to Hemel Hempstead was initially refused a space on it to get back.
The angry St Albans resident, who did not wish to be named, caught the minibus at St Albans City Hospital to go to Hemel Hospital to visit a patient.
Wednesday 14th - They think that by taking it away peice by peice we won't notice... WE DO AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT...
Hemel Today : Mental health unit will now be in Watford
Hopes for a specialist mental health unit in Hemel Hempstead have been dashed with the emergence of plans for such facilities in the Watford Health Campus.
The controversial decision to axe mental health services in St Albans, which served people from Dacorum, was tempered with the promise of a new unit on the site of Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
"Although this unit will close before the new one opens, the plan is still to provide a new in-patient facility in Hemel Hempstead."
Savehemel News: : Video released on internet shows impact of Hemel to Watford commute dilemma.
Link will be provided soon to external source. The video shot in one take shows the 1 hour journey to Watford birthing unit. This news comes as we discover people who have had massive problems in their commute which have resulted in serious complications at roadside. More to come.
Hemel Today : Hospital plans are scaled down and face more delay
The scale of the project has also shrunk with the price tag of the hospital falling from £320million to 'between £200 and £300million' and it will have fewer beds than anticipated.
The campus is the last remaining element of plans that originally foresaw a 'surgicentre' for planned operations in Hemel Hempstead and a new hospital in Hatfield.
But the new hospital has been cancelled and the surgicentre shelved, leaving the investment hopes of the NHS in West Herts pinned to the campus project.
The campus is a partnership involving West Herts Hospitals Trust, Watford Borough Council and Watford FC.
Kyle McClelland, project manager for the health campus, said: "It has slipped. That's because of internal issues with one of the stakeholders and the local elections."
Despite the prospect of a judicial review of the decision to centralise emergency care in Watford and planned operations in St Albans, work on the campus is proceeding.
Mr McClelland said: "We are concerned about access for people from Hemel. It will be a nine-minute train journey from Hemel." CLICK FOR MORE.
Tuesday 13th - Press coverage builds on fund campaign...
Hemel Today : Fighting fund to back legal action over cuts
Health campaigners have set up a fighting fund to back pensioner Donald Giddings' legal challenge to Hemel Hempstead Hospital's downgrading. CLICK FOR MORE.
Monday 12th - Donations urgently needed...
DACORUM HOSPITAL ACTION GROUP NEWS : An easy way to help...
We understand that people have busy lifestyles and cannot attend fundraisers, but that isn't the only way you can help!
We can accept bank transfers to:
Dacorum Hospital Action Group,
Lloyds Bank, Sort Code 30-94-08 A/C 00617148
or you can post cheques made out to Dacorum Hospital Action group to DHAG, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1PA. We can provide a receipt if required. Don't forget to tell us whether you would like us to list you as a contributor.
Friday 9th - FUNDRAISING EVENT...
DACORUM HOSPITAL ACTION GROUP NEWS : Quiz night...
As most of you will know, the Hospital Action Group, along with others, have been desperately fighting closures and a possible shut down of our Hospital at Hemel Hempstead. The Action Group are now in the process of Legally fighting these closures etc, and are in need of funds to save your hospital.
Grand Quiz on Sunday 4th March 2007. - Starts at 7pm, Highfield Hall. - Click HERE for map
Come along- tables are of 6 people and cost is £5 per person including tea / biscuits and nibbles at half time. There will also be a bar with profits being donated to the fund.
There will also be a BIG BUMPER RAFFLE (Donations from business and individuals accepted)
Organisers: Hazel Blanshard and Geoff Lawrence. Please click here for a Quiz Form to enter and mail it to 1 Appollo Way, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 5QG or call 01442 257 465.
Thursday 8th - Requests for donations...
DACORUM HOSPITAL ACTION GROUP NEWS : Legal Challenge - Urgent!!
The Dacorum Hospital Action Group and local pensioner and heart patient Donald Giddings have applied for a Judicial Review of the flawed consultation process recently conducted by West Herts Hospital Trust who ignored the large majority responses from the Dacorum population.
Our community needs to raise funds towards this legal challenge. We are therefore writing to ask you, please, to contribute to this community effort by a direct donation or by a fund-raising scheme of your choice. Whatever you can send will be much appreciated. This is URGENT.
We very much hope you will find it possible to support our efforts to safeguard Hemel Hospital services for those who live or work in Dacorum.
With many thanks in advance, and with best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Zena Bullmore, MBE, Chairman, DHAG.
Tuesday 6th - Hospital fight gets legal...
DACORUM HOSPITAL ACTION GROUP NEWS : Review proceedings begin...
The application for judicial review against the West Herts Hospitals Trust's decisions of 16 November 2006 was lodged at Court yesterday (6 February). It was made on behalf of the Dacorum Hospital Action Group and heart patient Mr. Donald Giddings. Dacorum Borough Council are in full support. This marks the start of formal proceedings after several weeks of preparatory work and legal communications between lawyers on the two sides.
At the same time our lawyers are trying to ensure that the Trust takes no irreversible decisions to implement any of the decisions which are the subject of the review application, and an injunction may become necessary.
We'll try to keep everyone informed as things move along.
Monday 5th - "It's becoming impossible to do our jobs"...
Contributed Story : A concerned employee of an un-named Health service provider recently told us that the facility is being run in to the ground. They refused to allow us to identify either them or the organization they worked for, however they stated 'Working conditions are beyond belief here and we're not allowed to speak out about them. Redundancy is spreading round the facility like the plague and our only defense from the chopping board is to bow down try and do what we're told.'
They went on to describe the conditions. She said 'While there is a building standing they seem not to rest. We aren't allowed to order needed supplies or even replace flashing light tubes in care areas'. This was also the message delivered to us from another employee at another site operated by the un-disclosed organization.
Editor: We must state categorically that we do know what organisation our sources work for, or where they are located geographically, but we can say that this is a serious matter indeed.
Friday 2nd - Your stories count...
Click here : To get your story heard by decision makers... NOW!
January 2007
Wednesday 31st - Whos fault is it?
Hemel Today : Don't blame it on the council
Thursday 25th - Revolutionary plan by cost cut bosses... £2.50 a day. Genius.
This London : Trust tells its nurses to save £2.50 a day
Doctors and nurses have been told they each must save £2.50 a day by measures such as prescribing cheaper medicines, reducing the number of sterile packs used, cutting hospital tests and asking patients to bring drugs in from home.
The astonishing edict was sent by e-mail to around 3,600 staff working in the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust by chief executive David Law on Wednesday.
The leaked e-mail, entitled Saving £2.50, contains 13 suggestions to cut costs. Other measures include switching off lights and asking patients to pay for a taxi home instead of using ambulances.
The sum of £2.50 would barely pay for a packet of over-the-counter painkillers or a box of plasters.
Want to make a comment about this and other cut backs to our safety service?
CLICK HERE AND HAVE YOUR SAY.
Tuesday 23rd - Council backs legal challenge against Hospital service closures...
Hemel Today : Council chiefs get behind OAP hospital legal challenge
Council chiefs have thrown their weight behind the legal bid by pensioner Donald Giddings to halt the downgrading of Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
In an unprecedented move, Dacorum Borough Council has become a 'participant' in the claim by Mr Giddings for a judicial review.
The legal action focuses on the decision by West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust to centralise emergency care in Watford and planned operations in St Albans, leaving Hemel Hempstead with a minor injuries unit, outpatients and diagnostic services.
Mr Giddings has been given legal aid to go to the first stage of requesting permission from a judge to pursue a judicial review.
A council spokesman said: "We have become a participant and support the claim.
"Mr Giddings has got legal aid to request a judicial review and because we are a local authority representing local people, we want to intervene and support this claim."
This represents the first time the council has involved itself in a legal action concerning the plight of the hospital, which has been under threat for years.
In a letter to the hospital trust lawyers acting for Mr Giddings say the decisions to strip services from Hemel Hempstead were 'flawed and unlawful'.
This is because the trust board did not properly take into account the results of a public consultation which showed 82 per cent backed Hemel Hempstead as the place for planned operations, the letter says.
The letter states the board 'failed' to 'take into account the consultation responses' and as a result the decisions are 'likely to be quashed by the court'.
Mr Giddings, 78, is a former serviceman from Martian Avenue in Highfield who developed heart and lung problems after retiring in 1993.
Daniel Zammit, chief executive at the council, said infrastructure including health services was needed to support the regeneration of the town.
"For any major regeneration to be truly sustainable, we must also have dedicated infrastructure. In practice this means that the people of Dacorum must, amongst other essentials, have easy access to comprehensive medical facilities," he said.
"That is why the council continues to oppose the closure of any of the facilities at Hemel Hospital."
Thursday 18th - Hospital wards reject op victim as Watford fills to the brink...
The Herts Advertiser : Operation delayed due to lack of beds
Mr O'Shaughnessy said: "Emergency cases were being transferred to Watford but we were told my wife could not be moved there because the ward was full."
Last Friday Mr O'Shaughnessy contacted both St Albans MP Anne Main and the Herts Advertiser and his wife was then transferred to Watford Hospital where she was eventually operated on overnight.
Wednesday 17th - Hewitt tells local Hospital bosses to reorganise MORE...
The Welwyn and Hatfield Times : Hewitt’s NHS claim ‘ludicrous’ says MP
HEALTH Secretary Patricia Hewitt has accused the NHS in Hertfordshire of wasting record amounts of cash.
She warned health bosses in the county to reorganise services to make spending more efficient.
Hemel Today : Meeting about hospital plans
A special meeting to discuss the future of Hemel Hempstead Hospital will be held by Tring Town Council next week.
A speaker from the West Herts NHS Hospitals Trust will talk on issues surrounding plans for downgrading the hospital.
Hemel Today : Hospital car park fear in dark hours
A woman who visits her mother at Hemel Hempstead Hospital has given up using the car park because it's 'dark and unsafe'.
Janet Donaghay, of Barbers Walk in Tring, used the car park near Verulam Wing for two weeks until the lighting packed up, plunging the area into darkness.
Friday 12th - Close our Hospital.. Where has new NHS money gone?
Herts & Essex News Online : MP fumes at Blair's 'slap-in-the-face' to Herts
THE Prime Minister gave the people of East Herts a "slap in the face" over the ticking time bombs of health service cuts and rising house-building targets.
"Everyone recognises the Government has spent more money - the question is where has it gone?"
"To build 22,000 new homes without the promise of infrastructure investment is nonsense," said Mr Prisk.
"Now Mr Blair is saying that the Green Belt should be reviewed from Sawbridgeworth to Hemel Hempstead, raising the question of whether we are effectively going to become part of north London."
Wednesday 10th - Close our Hospital and build more homes.. utter madness..
Hemel Today : 'We must fight to stop homes being built on our fields'
Under the government's East of England plan, Dacorum, would have to find room for 12,000 additional homes by 2021.
Questions were also raised about the logic of building homes and creating work when an infrastructure is not in place and there are questions about the future of Hemel Hempstead Hospital and the Buncefield site.
Tuesday 9th - No birthing unit in Hemel, other worrying cuts being overturned
Hemel Today : Hospital bosses push to raise maternity care standards
Monday 8th - Superbug cases lower at Hospital
Watford Observer : We'll win fight against superbug
December 2006
- Thursday 21st - Job fears over latest decision
Hemel Today : The Labour Party in Hemel Hempstead has written to hospital chiefs seeking assurances that service cuts will not lead to job losses.
Party spokesman Ayfer Orhan and council group leader Maureen Flint also express concern that public consultation results had been 'dismissed' in the decision to centralise A&E in Watford and planned operations in St Albans.
- Wednesday 20th - Legal challenge to hospital cuts and Spiraling debts
Hemel Today : A PENSIONER from Highfield is taking on the might of the NHS by mounting a legal challenge to the decision to downgrade Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
Donald Giddings, from Martian Avenue, is so furious about the plight of health services in the town that he has taken on a legal team to fight the plans through the courts.
The 78 year-old, who suffers with heart and lung problems and needs constant oxygen, is adamant lives will be lost if full A&E services do not remain in the town.
Hemel Today : Trust chief fears 'spiral of decline' without funding.
David Law, chief executive of West Herts Hospitals Trust, warned they would be in a 'spiral of decline' if funding for the move, totalling £36million, was not forthcoming from the Department of Health.
Hemel Today : Health changes will cost 79 beds.
Currently there are 669 beds across Hemel Hempstead, Watford and St Albans hospitals.
But if proposals by West Herts Hospitals Trust go ahead - to centralise A&E in Watford and planned operations in St Albans - the total will drop to 590.
- Monday 18th - Begging for some common sense
Hemel Today : MP makes hospital plea to Commons.
Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning made a passionate plea in the House of Commons over the closure of the town's hospital last week.
Mr Penning told fellow MPs that the short-term effect of the Government's bid to tackle NHS debts will have a crippling long-term effect on health provision in Hemel Hempstead.
He said: "The acute accident and emergency department, which has received substantial investment over the past 15 years…will be closed and moved to Watford.
"Along with it will go the brand new stroke and cardiac units, the MRI scanner and all acute facilities. Their closure marks the end of acute facilities in my general hospital."
He added: "In 18 months' time, not one in-patient bed will be left in a general hospital that caters for the largest town in Hertfordshire.
"That is not reconfiguration, but closure – closure that will affect the day-to-day lives and prospects of my constituents."
- Friday 15th - Firm of solicitors that won the Pam Smith Derbyshire GP Surgery case in the Court of Appeal takes on David Law and the West Herts Hospital Trust.
The West Herfordshire Hospital Trust Chief Executive, David Law, has this morning received a 'letter before claim' from a London firm of solicitors.
This will inform him that in their opinion several of the decisions taken by the Trust Board on 16th November 2006 relating to future health service provision in West Hertfordshire were flawed and unlawful and likely to be quashed by the court. It sets out the legal grounds for this view. It notes that, according to the Agenda for the Trust Board meeting on the afternoon of 14th December (tomorrow), further proposals are under consideration to proceed to implement these decisions. It asks Mr. Law to confirm by return that no irreversible steps will be taken to implement the challenged decisions.
Finally it states that unless the solicitors are advised by close of business on Tuesday 2nd January 2007 that the decisions of 16th November will be reversed and fresh consultations will be undertaken, they will commence judicial review proceedings of those unlawful decisions without delay and without further notice.
Please note that Dacorum Hospital Action Group and savehemel.com, while naturally supportive, are NOT involved in the above action.
- Thursday 14th - Strategic Health Authority DEMAND a new look
Herts 24 : AN IN-DEPTH look at hospital services across the East of England has been ordered by the new Strategic Health Authority (SHA).
Herts 24 : West Herts Hospitals Trust (WHHT), which operates St Albans City, Hemel Hempstead and Watford Hospitals, was described in a national newspaper this week as being in an irrecoverable position.
Earlier this year it had a deficit of more than £40 million and is one of a group of trusts which are believed to have passed the point of no return.
In a bid to overcome its deficit, WHHT is proposing to centralise emergency care at Watford and routine operations at St Albans City Hospital. It also has a complete embargo on the use of temporary staff and has announced a number of lay offs.
The Guardian, which obtained information about the financial position of hospital trusts using the Freedom of Information Act, maintains that WHHT and the others in the same position found their financial difficulties impossible to manage because of a mistake made by the Department of Health and the Treasury in 2001.
- Wednesday 13th - The GP backlash against Hospital Service Closure
Hemel Today : Dacorum's GPs are in revolt.
All practices in the area have joined together to voice their 'deep concern' about the risks to patients from the cuts to local health services.
In an open letter the doctors say the cuts 'carry risks' because they do not have the resources to take up the slack from fewer hospital beds.
The unprecedented attack comes as West Herts Hospitals Trust is shown to be among 13 'bankrupt' trusts that it is claimed will never drag themselves out of debt.
- Monday 11th - Buncefield Disaster - Proof we need local A&E Hospital services.
The Independent : Buncefield: One year on, fire victims fume at insurance payouts.
Hemel Today : WEST Herts Hospitals Trust is technically bankrupt, a national newspaper claimed today.
The trusts have a legal obligation to balance the books over three years, stretching in exceptional circumstances to five.
An investigation by The Guardian said the trust was among at least a dozen with no chance of balancing its books.
- Friday 8th - Your money for your lives...
Herts & Essex Online : Hatfield Super-hospital veto 'was down to money'
Review & Observer : Hewitt asked to justify decision
HEALTH SECRETARY Patricia Hewitt is facing demands to come to St Albans and justify the decision to scrap plans for a new hospital in Hatfield.
Government's critics are concerned about the closure of Hemel Hempstead Hospital's casualty department, doubts over the future of the QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City and last week's controversial shutting of 20 beds at Harpenden Memorial Hospital.
- Monday 4th - NHS cash is being spent on dance classes while wards lay empty.
THE SUN : Under a new Government fitness drive, TAXPAYERS will fork out for Britons to go on a range of free exercise regimes.
But opponents have slammed the move.
Tory MP Mike Penning, whose local hospital in Hemel Hemstead, Herts, is closing, said: “There is a financial crisis in the NHS. Jobs are being lost and wards lie empty, while money is wasted on this gimmick. It is a disgrace.”
November 2006
- Thursday 30th - ANGER MOUNTING OVER LABOUR SPIN DOCTOR!
Herts24 : A ROW has blown up over an independent report into hospital trust proposals which will centralise acute care in Watford rather than Hemel Hempstead.
The report was commissioned from a former Labour spin-doctor and backed proposals put forward by the West Herts Hospitals Trust to pick Watford General over Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
- Wednesday 29th - David Law responsible for sacking loyal staff.
Hemel Today : A pensioner with a part-time job at Hemel Hempstead Hospital is the latest victim of cost-cutting.
..hospital bosses have decided to axe her £49-a-week job in the chest clinic, to help reduce accumulated debts of £43 million.
"The manager of the department just came in and said: 'I have got some bad news for you – you are no longer required'," she said.
Hemel Today : More Health, Less Funds - Ms. Hewitts labour Hospitals get £1,300 per head, Conservative Hemel Hempstead gets £960 per head, nearly £400 less.
- Monday 27th - Professor who 'analysed' consultation is former Labour Spin Doctor...
This London : Under fire: Public are calling for an inquiry into 'Professor' John Underwood's actions.
According to recent research, seven out of ten new hospitals have opened in Labour areas. Mr Underwood was unavailable for comment.
Reference: Clear Communications own website - Services specifically set up to help organisations handle crisis - "CLEAR can help prepare for the worst, handle the flak and respond positively to ensure the fastest possible recovery." "We are used to dealing with hostile journalists to protect reputations in the face of negative stories. "
St. Albans Observer : Traffic study over A&E decision to investigate whether the lives of St Albans residents will be put at risk by plans to send all patients who need critical care to Watford.
- Sunday 26th - Now we know how where the money has gone...
The Mail on Sunday : Professor who backed Tory hospital closure is former Labour spin doctor.
A former Labour spin doctor earned an estimated £100,000 for writing an independent report that endorsed the closure of a popular hospital (Hemel Hempstead Hospital) in a Conservative area.
Times Online : Critics say the government has blown £70 billion hiring management consultants to do the work of ministers and civil servants — badly. By Bryan Appleyard
- Thursday 23rd - Realisation of a Conspiracy?
EADT24 : Blair should visit our crisis hit NHS - Hemel gets less money per head.
Herts 24 : The cash-strapped trust - which has a deficit of more than £40 million - maintains that the only way it can tackle its overspending is by rationalising services.
Mr Law admitted that there had been more support for locating planned surgery at Hemel Hempstead than in St Albans following a large campaign in the town which fears it could lose nearly all its hospital services.
- Wednesday 22nd - Campaigners set to fight on
Hemel Today : Campaigners are taking steps to form legal case against health chiefs.
Hemel Today : Campaigners have attacked as 'disgusting' the decision by health chiefs to ignore the results of a public consultation and downgrade Hemel Hempstead Hospital..
- Tuesday 21st - More NHS funds Labour areas
ThisLondon.co.uk : People living in Conservative areas deserve less money from the NHS than those in Labour heartlands because they have the 'good fortune' to be healthier, Patricia Hewitt said last night.
During a Health Select Committee hearing on NHS deficits, Conservative MP Mike Penning demanded to know why his Hemel Hempstead constituency receives £960 per head compared with £1,300 head in Miss Hewitt's Leicester West seat.
She said: "I am satisfied that funding allocations are fair. I believe that reflects the very real differences in health areas in the prevalance of disease between our two constituencies.
- Whats YOUR view?
- Sunday 19th - Watfords 'disposable' hospital
Watford Observer : Temporary £20million unit
- Saturday 18th - Residents scared and angry
Hemel Today : Hospital axe and sell-off fury. 50% to be sold for housing
- Friday 17th - 4% Option 1 / 82% Option 2
Watford Observer : Critical care diverted to Watford
- Thursday 16th - 82% Vote to keep Hemel
Hemel Today : WHHT ignore public opinion and vote 9-1 to close the majority of Hemel A&E.
- 15th June 2006 - Hatfield Hospital cancelled.
Herts 24 :
A NEW multi-million pound superhospital earmarked for Hatfield has been scrapped.
The scheme, which would have included a cancer centre, is the first victim of a review of hospital services across the East of England which was carried out by the newly-formed Herts PCT.
It means that in West Herts, acute and trauma services will almost certainly be centralised at Watford and in East and North Herts, they will be either at Lister in Stevenage or the QEII in Welwyn Garden City.
Although the superhospital was to be built on the Hatfield Business Park, it would have been the main hospital serving the St Albans district. But right from the outset it was plagued by delays amid mounting concerns that the parlous financial state of the East and North Herts NHS Trust would have precluded attracting a Private Finance Initiative (PFI).
It became clear last year that under new calculations, the East and North Herts Trust would have only been able to raise £250 million - turning a planned superhospital into merely a new district hospital.
The other attraction of the scheme was the proximity of the site to the University of Herts which supported the idea of a medical school in tandem with a new hospital.
Announcing the decision not to go any further with the superhospital last week, East and North Herts Trust chairman, Richard Beazley, said it was not affordable.
He described the news as disappointing but said the trust had to be realistic. "Much has changed since July 2004 when the Hatfield project received the support of the-then Health Secretary John Reid with perhaps the biggest change being the highly-challenging financial positions of virtually all the NHS organisations in Herts."
The decision was ratified by the Herts Primary Care Trusts (PCT) at their first meeting as a new countywide organisation on the same day.
Confirming that hospital services would continue on the four main hospital sites in the county, chief executive Anne Walker said that developments in care meant increasing emphasis on community matrons, increasing intermediate care and the creation of ever more local services.
"All these developments mean in-patients are spending less time in hospital and more patients are being treated closer to their homes.
"For these reasons the local health community needs fewer hospital beds than anticipated and a new 700-bed hospital at Hatfield is no longer the best use of taxpayers' money."
She said the PCTs were satisfied that Watford remained the right place for major hospital services in West Herts and planned to continue the development of the new health campus there.
A final decision is due to be taken today (Thursday) by the West Herts Hospitals Trust following a 100-day consultation into the proposal which would see elective surgery at either St Albans City or Hemel Hempstead Hospitals with the former the more likely choice.
That situation is likely to continue until a new privately-commissioned surgicentre opens at Hemel Hempstead.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
Herts 24 : Hospitals facing staff meltdown
WHHT : Trust Board reach a decision on interim measures for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
- 14th June 2006 - Hemel Hospital loses acute services.
Hemel Today :
HEALTH chiefs today confirmed that Hemel Hempstead hospital is to be downgraded.
The West Herts Hospitals Trust said that following a consultation it had decided that emergency services will be moved to Watford General Hospital and planned surgery will be carried out at St Albans.
In another shock development it emerged that plans for a surgicentre for Hemel Hempstead have been shelved.
And if that was not enough for the people of Dacorum, it was revealed that around 50 per cent of Hemel Hempstead Hospital site will be considered for sell-off.
The trust hopes to make savings of £11.2m a year once the changes take place.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
- Thursday 2nd - WHHT spins more yarn...
Herts Advertiser : Suspending belief in hospital waiting times
October 2006
- Tuesday 17th - 15,000 people cant be wrong!
Hemel Today : Hospital cuts petition handed to Commons
- Wednesday 4th - Hewitt Visits Hemel
Hemel Today : Patricia snubbs the people...
A Group of protesters turned out at council offices during Patricia Hewitts visit to protest about dangerous Hospital closure plans.
Patricia Hewitt attended a meeting with carers at 'Hemel One' Council offices.
However, staff at the council notified her of the protest and tried to allow her to make a secret entrance at the rear of the building.
She crept in round the back, to cower away from the crowd of demonstrators.
Local carer Malcolm Hemming commented 'We were totally ignored. Her behaviour was shameful. We are the people who will be affected by these proposed changes. I have a vulnerable family and rely on hospital services. Our lives are being put at risk for no reason'.
However she was caught on camera, and Mike Penning asked some probing questions.
The demonstrators were stunned when she called the Police to restrict the peaceful demonstration that was organised and supported by MP Mike Penning.
Snubbed local people were dismayed and disgusted with their treatment, citing reasons to question whether Mrs. Hewitt is concerned with the safety of vulnerable people, or cash savings.
On behalf of our town and people, we raise the issue of concern over bloated salaries paid to so-called 'consultants' who are pushing forward the unpopular and undemocratic destruction of local healthcare services.
August 2006
July 2006
14th June 2006 - HOSPITAL STAFF 'BEING FORCED OUT'.
Hemel Today :
Wednesday, June 14: A 'war of attrition' is taking place at Hemel Hempstead Hospital to force staff to leave, an insider has claimed.
Staff are being made to feel 'as uncomfortable as possible' under a 'climate of fear' to make the job of closing the hospital easier.
The tactic has emerged as West Herts Hospitals Trust announces it is 'broke' and cannot afford to run services at both Hemel Hempstead and Watford.
Plans to remove all services from Hemel Hempstead and put them at Watford General Hospital have been released.
But according to a source within the trust, the hospital has been 'run down' for many months.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
November 2005
- Sunday 20th - Torchlight Procession
BBC News
1983... - HEMEL Hempstead Hospital received a £6million expansion and facelift.
Hemel TODAY :
HEMEL Hempstead Hospital received a £6million expansion and facelift.
Members of the Dacorum Hospital Action Group were among the guests at an official ceremony to mark the beginning of the work.
The long awaited scheme involved building a five storey block containing three wards with 84 beds, an intensive care unit, three operating theatres and theatre sterile supply unit, a rehabilitation unit consulting suite, dental department, medical records department, kitchen and dining room.
The local health authority said the improvements were important to Dacorum because of its 120,000 population.
Improvements were also planned for the existing boiler house, hospital stores and X ray and pathology departments and work was expected to take up to four years to complete.
The manager of building firm the Walter Lawrence Construction Company
said it was 'a momentous day for local people and the result of much hard work for the future dreams and aspirations of the hospital'.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY...
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