A&E downgrading

I have been sent the following email, and the author has given permission  for me to reproduce it here:

I am a nurse currently employed by Southend Hospital as an Deputy sister in critical care and as an outreach nurse  my role is to assess Deteriorating patients throughout the hospital and attending all cardiac arrests. I frequently go on transfer to specialist hospitals such as Basildon and London hospitals  However these patients are first taken to southend to stabilise them as many cases for example stroke patients emergency treatment is  time critical. This will not happen if the current plans go ahead.

I've seen the proposals and only one of them has southend as a specialist emergency dept. 

I've gone on many transfers and even with a blue light travelling on the 127 or A13 can take a long time to get to the destination and trying to give treatment in the back of an ambulance is very difficult and I don't believe it can be sustained for a long period of time.

As for emergency obstetric and Paediatric  cases going to Broomfield it is utterly ridiculous and will put many lives at risk.The present system for emergency Paediatric cases is to admit them to southend stabilise them and wait for the CATS retrieval team to arrive if need be we will admit the child to Critical Care to await transfer.

Finally how do they expect relatives to get to Basildon or Broomfield in an emergency situation. We have an elderly population who do not drive, and for those who can drive our roads to Basildon and Broomfield are always busy and will take some considerable time to get to their loved one's who may possibly die before they arrive. 

I am not against specialist hospitals but patients need to be assessed and stabilised before transfer.

On seeing the proposals it appears that Southend will continue with its excellent cancer services but other than that it will be downgraded to the old cottage type hospitals of the 60' and 70's. I do believe the ultimate aim will be to have a Monday to Friday 9 to 5pm A&E of course denied at present. 

I have seen many changes throughout my 40 yrs of nursing but as always we spend lots of money making changes with more and more managers rather than putting the money into patient services. These changes no doubt will go ahead against the will of local people. As always with the N H S  at a later date it will also be shown not to work and back to the drawing board as is the case at Whipps Cross and London hospital.

The only answer to the NHS crisis is money for social care to discharge patients, better mental health care and generally more money Into the NHS by increasing national insurance ring fenced for the NHS. Also shortage of nurses will get worse with the removal of the bursary why would you train to be a nurse when you can get  bursary for teaching or an apprenticeship scheme for other forms of employment

I would be happy to sign any petition or help with the campaign if needed. 

Thank you for your time. Angela Meads

Conservative Slackers Miss Important Council Meeting

PRESS RELEASE

At the Special Meeting of Southend Borough Council’s People Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, 6th April, the local Conservatives showed how little they cared about healthcare provision in Southend-on-Sea.

 

Of their eight members who are on the Scrutiny Committee, only four Tories turned up. No substitutes were arranged.

This Special Meeting was called to discuss the Mid and South Essex Sustainability and Transformation Plan and Success Regime.

The STP is what will drive the proposed changes to healthcare provision in the borough, including the downgrading of accident and emergency services.

"How important is the health service to the local Tories?" asked Labour Councillor Julian Ware-Lane. "Judging by their failure to attend it is very low on their list of priorities. Yet there are real challenges in the near future".

"It is very disappointing" added Julian.

The absent Conservative Councillors were Cllrs Arscott, Butler, D. Garston and Habermel. The four who attended were: Cllrs Boyd, Buckley, Phillips, and Walker. Cllr Salter, as Portfolio Holder, also attended.

Labour has three members on the committee, all of whom were present (Cllrs Borton, Jones, and Nevin).  Cllrs McDonald and Ware-Lane were also present

The healthcare you can afford, rather than need

The preference in the Mid and South Essex Sustainability and Transformation Plan and Success Regime is for option 2A.This option will mean that no 'blue light' (emergency) ambulances will go to Southend University Hospital.

Option 2A has Basildon as the specialist emergency hospital. Where journey times are critical a ride to Basildon from Shoeburyness will be most disconcerting.

The oft repeated buzzword is 'sustainability'; this is interchangeable with 'cheapest'. Our health, now subject to the exigencies of austerity, and is now predicated on cost rather than outcome.