Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals closure programme.

Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot

 

THE TRUST

D

                IS BUST!

– they are determined to shut it down and sell it off.

Not just yet, of course. Now it’s just the Birth centre, the Rehabilitation ward and the Minor Injuries unit that they want to close. Mind you, when they shut down the Accident and Emergency, they said that was all that was closing…

 I keep warning everybody that the Accident and Emergency is the heart of any hospital – so is maternity. The rehab was vital to the whole area – my guess is that the ‘big idea’, is that the elderly and vulnerable people who were cared for after their operations in rehab, are likely to get kicked out of Wexham and sent home real quick.

That will mean more accidents post-op, more readmissions and more deaths. All of which were prevented by rehabilitation at Heatherwood.

The problem will be that Slough people will be breathing a sigh of relief that they aren’t affected – it’s the posh people in Ascot.

Actually, it served the whole area rich or poor. Meanwhile the Save Heatherwood Hospital campaign (SHH) was rightly calling the hospital the ‘jewel in the Crown’ for the NHS;

The new Friends and Family test rated Heatherwood above Royal Berkshire, Frimley park and Wexham park. But that is the new normal, it seems to be the really loved hospitals that get shut down to ensure the survival of the second rate. (I am being unfair with that remark– Frimley park has a good reputation.)

Otherwise, it’s just a step closer to the big sell off of all that lovely land… 

Quick, sell it off!

B

 

Time to fight back.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home;       helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact:    neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Raise a glass to 38 Degrees please.

When I started this Blog it was because I knew I had to do things in a completely different way to what I was used to - these people at 38Degrees have been trying new things too. It often doesn't work, sometimes I don't agree with them - this time I think we should all raise a glass, while it lasts!

Neil Harris

(a don't stop till you drop production)

 

 

Jeremy Hunt: breaking the law

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David Babbs - 38 Degrees <action@38degrees.org.uk>	4:12 PM (22 hours ago)
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Dear friend, This is HUGE news. Today, we got the verdict in the court case against health secretary Jeremy Hunt, which 38 Degrees members helped to pay for. It's the result we had all hoped for: the judge ruled that Jeremy Hunt acted illegally. He's been ordered to scrap his plan to cut A&E and maternity services at Lewisham Hospital, south London. [1] This is fantastic news for the people of Lewisham. But it's also great news for the rest of us. If Jeremy Hunt had got away with this in Lewisham, no hospital would have been safe. When the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign decided to take Jeremy Hunt to court, thousands of us from all across the UK stepped in to help. Together, chipping in whatever we could afford, we raised the £20,000 they needed to launch their legal challenge. [2] It's not often that ordinary people come together to take the government to court. That was an impressive achievement in itself. But to win – and to prove that Jeremy Hunt is breaking the law – is simply amazing. There will be so much more to do if we're going to stop and reverse this government's damaging attacks on our health service. In Lewisham, there's a chance the government may appeal the court's decision. Everywhere else, there are cuts, privatisation, and low care standards for us to battle against. Today is a great win - but the Save our NHS campaign will need to go on tomorrow! But let's take a little bit of time to celebrate first. Here are two ways to toast this success: 1. Raise a glass this evening to all the people who made this breakthrough possible. The 38 Degrees members who donated. All the other 38 Degrees members who are involved in the Save Our NHS campaign. The brilliant local campaigners in the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign who have worked tirelessly for months. The crack legal team at Leigh Day solicitors. And the wonderful local NHS staff who've just kept going despite their hospital being under threat. 2. Forward this e-mail to any friends or contacts who could do with a little bit of inspiration. Sometimes it can feel like it's impossible for us to make a difference. Today's success proves that when enough of us work together, we really can. People power works! Here's what Dr Louise Irvine, chair of the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, has to say: "We're delighted by the judgement and the support we've got from Lewisham and beyond, especially from 38 Degrees members who donated to make today's victory possible and helped give us the confidence to stand up to Jeremy Hunt in court". Thank you for everything you do, David, Susannah, Ian, Travis, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team

Lewisham Hospital Victory!

A flurry of spokesmen on the T.V and radio – including a highly paid man-in-a-suit from ‘The Foundation Trust network’ which I haven’t come across before. Why?

The patients, Doctors and Nurses of Lewisham Hospital won their case at the High Court; the health minister was wrong in the way he made his decision to close the A and E and maternity departments.

This was because the next door trust had been bankrupted by a Private Finance Initiative loan. That ‘can’t’ be changed, so the plan was that the bankrupt trust should take over the efficient, well-loved trust next door, to balance the books.

‘Irrational’ said the court. Don’t hold your breath, the government will appeal, the spokesmen are softening us up, at the taxpayers expense.

If the appeal fails? They will change the law and that’s why the creep from ‘The Foundation trust network’ has appeared.

Instead, we should nationalise the PFI loans and finish this exploitation off, once and for all.

This morning, spokesmen were telling us how good it is to close hospitals – this is NHS England it will be the ‘legacy’ of Sir David Nicholson. He knows a thing or two about the subject. Mid Staffordshire hospital Trust is to be broken up – departments closed, patients travelling miles, jobs lost. The debts? Transferred to the next trust.

The victims in this case the patients, are paying the price.

Meanwhile ex-nurse Tracey White, last week struck off the Nursing register due to her appalling behaviour and treatment of patients and staff at A and E at Stafford Hospital – she is now a manager at the hospital. No doubt looking forward to a nice fat redundancy cheque when it cuts back.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)  

Home;        helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact:     neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com