{"id":952,"date":"2017-03-30T18:29:27","date_gmt":"2017-03-30T17:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/?p=952"},"modified":"2017-04-04T18:07:28","modified_gmt":"2017-04-04T17:07:28","slug":"whats-going-on-with-our-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/?p=952","title":{"rendered":"WHAT\u2019S GOING ON WITH OUR HOSPITALS?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>It\u2019s a Frightening Crisis<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For some time the media has highlighted the crisis in our hospitals, especially in A&amp;Es. \u00a0Ambulances that are needed elsewhere are stuck outside A&amp;Es, sometimes for hours because there are no beds to put patients into. \u00a0In North West London we\u2019re in one of the worst areas. Recently all local A&amp;Es were in the bottom 12 for urgent cases, with Hillingdon Hospital the worst in England. \u00a0Obviously the closure of A&amp;Es at Hammersmith and Central Middlesex Hospitals was the main contributing factor. \u00a0That is to say obvious except apparently to the senior health managers in charge. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unbelievably, they are pressing ahead with plans to close Ealing A&amp;E. It\u2019s a familiar story, they are seriously under resourcing Ealing Hospital. \u00a0Unless this process stops, the Hospital will become unviable, at which point will close the A&amp;E. \u00a0Without A&amp;E backup most other services can\u2019t function, so almost 300 beds would go too. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m not making this up, it\u2019s in the \u201cDelivery Plan\u201d for the STP, recently uncovered by a Freedom of Information request. \u00a0The Plan includes<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The loss of <\/span><b>3,658<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> NHS jobs in NW London next year 17\/18\u00a0&#8211; rising to <\/span><b>7753<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> job losses by 20\/21<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A cut of almost 50,000 hospital admissions and 222,370 outpatient appointments cut by 20\/21. Already patient waiting times for planned operations are at record levels. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The loss of 500 &#8211; 600 hospital beds with the closure of Charing Cross and Ealing as major acute hospitals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A\u00a0reduction in A&amp;E attendances by 64,175 in the next 5 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ealing Hospital would end up as a collection of clinics with the Urgent Care Centre which, like many other NHS services has been tendered out and is now privately run &#8211; despite the Hospital location and use of the NHS logo. A year ago, a \u2018fly on the wall\u2019 TV documentary, exposed how badly it struggled to maintain standards.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Who Orders the Cuts and Privatisation NHS Services? <\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/blob.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-940 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/blob.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"347\" height=\"195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/blob.png 800w, https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/blob-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/blob-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/blob-678x381.png 678w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 347px) 100vw, 347px\" \/><\/a>In Ealing, it\u2019s the Clinical Commissioning Group, or CCG, who hold the purse strings. \u00a0They claim to be acting on \u2018clinical\u2019 advice, they are following instructions from the \u201cShaping a Healthier Future\u201d tem, which is now morphing into the \u201cSustainability and Transformation Plan\u201d. \u00a0Behind these bodies is NHS England, controlled by the Health Minister. \u00a0Their managers are appointed to follow nationally laid down directives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The one multi-million pound growth area is the private management consultants and public relations advisors. \u00a0NHS budgets in North West London have millions to these people to organise NHS restructuring and \u2018savings\u2019. \u00a0You may have come across them as they have toured community meetings with documents and glossy leaflets explaining that health services will be much better after they implement more cuts. \u00a0According to these spin doctors, healthy living advice and community clinics will be a better replacement for expensive hospital treatment. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Sustainability and Transformation Plans<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> S.T.P.s are aimed to hugely cut health and adult social service spending. \u00a0There is no democracy or accountability, none of this has been through Parliament, local Councils have been bypassed, even though they are supposedly in charge of adult social care. England has been divided up into 44 great big areas for each of which handpicked senior managers have been appointed to draw up a plan to \u201cmeet the budget\u201d. \u00a0Hospital Trusts, CCGs and local authorities have been told they must buy in to the process. Each of the STP areas is huge, covering several local authorities, CCGs and hospital trusts &#8211; far too big for local communities or local accountability even supposing there were any structures in place. \u00a0Staggeringly, most of them have been bullied and cajoled into signing up for the STP without even being given the full plans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">STPs are being sold as plans to integrate adult social care, health and hospitals. \u00a0But integration of services is totally undermined by the STPs having far smaller budgets. \u00a0It\u2019s a nightmare. \u00a0Local authority budgets for social care, especially for the elderly, have been cuts so much that even the private companies now running most care homes on a shoestring are starting to go out of business. \u00a0As a result, people are stuck in hospital as there\u2019s nowhere to go. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Ealing Council Says No<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In our area of North West London, the STP is continuing the existing cuts programme with the Orwellian title of \u2018Shaping a Healthier Future\u2019 run by a shadowy and unaccountable organisation of the same name, based in Marylebone. \u00a0As well as the closure of A&amp;Es at Hammersmith and Central Middlesex, award winning and much needed Ealing Maternity Ward has been shut down, followed by the Charlie Chaplin children\u2019s ward, which means children can\u2019t go to Ealing A&amp;E. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The whole project has been a disaster for our community and to its credit, Ealing Council has defied Government pressure and refused to endorse the STP, along with Hammersmith and Fulham Council. \u00a0They have gone public with their defiance and even organised a public meeting to highlight the problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analysis shows that cuts and closures will hit the most deprived areas in North West London. \u00a0Many people will simply be unable to access services, as highlighted in the Delivery Plan. \u00a0They will be left attempting to rely on already overstretched GPs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Look \u2013 the Emperor has No Clothes<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Locally and nationally opposition to STPs is growing. Ealing and Hammersmith have been joined by other Councils. \u00a0Retired senior health managers have gone public, saying the STPs won\u2019t work. \u00a0Dr Tracy Batten, recently resigned as the boss of 5 West London Hospitals. \u00a0Even the British Red Cross has said that we are facing a \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">humanitarian disaster<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the health bosses are still in denial because they are hired to carry out policy and to tell their superiors that all is well. \u00a0Everyone can see the problem except for the emperor\u2019s courtiers &#8211; paid not to see it.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a Frightening Crisis &nbsp; For some time the media has highlighted the crisis in our hospitals, especially in A&amp;Es. \u00a0Ambulances that are needed elsewhere are stuck outside A&amp;Es, sometimes for hours because there are no beds to put patients into. \u00a0In North West London we\u2019re in one of the worst areas. Recently all local [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",1024,512,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6-300x150.png",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6-768x384.png",640,320,true],"large":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6-1024x512.png",640,320,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",1024,512,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",1024,512,false],"td_0x420":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",840,420,false],"td_80x60":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",80,40,false],"td_100x75":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",100,50,false],"td_180x135":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",180,90,false],"td_238x178":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",238,119,false],"td_265x198":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",265,133,false],"td_300x160":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",300,150,false],"td_300x194":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",300,150,false],"td_300x350":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",300,150,false],"td_341x220":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",341,171,false],"td_341x400":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",341,171,false],"td_511x400":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",511,256,false],"td_537x360":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",537,269,false],"td_640x0":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",640,320,false],"td_640x350":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",640,320,false],"td_681x0":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",681,341,false],"td_681x400":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",681,341,false],"td_741x486":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",741,371,false],"td_1021x580":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",1021,511,false],"mailpoet_newsletter_max":["https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/pablo-6.png",1024,512,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Oliver New","author_link":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/?author=11"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"It\u2019s a Frightening Crisis &nbsp; For some time the media has highlighted the crisis in our hospitals, especially in A&amp;Es. \u00a0Ambulances that are needed elsewhere are stuck outside A&amp;Es, sometimes for hours because there are no beds to put patients into. \u00a0In North West London we\u2019re in one of the worst areas. Recently all local&hellip;","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=952"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":953,"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952\/revisions\/953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ealingsaveournhs.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}