Watford Hospital now open after Tuesday’s closure

Note from WHHT

We have resumed treating adults with minor ailments at Watford Hospital but the adults’ Accident & Emergency department remains extremely busy.

Children’s and maternity services remain unaffected.

We encourage all adult patients whose conditions are not likely to be life-threatening to consider visiting our Urgent Care Centre at Hemel Hempstead Hospital (open 24/7) or the Minor Injuries Unit at St Albans Hospital (open 9am to 8pm). Patients from the Pinner and Northwood area can visit the Minor Injuries Unit at Mount Vernon Hospital (open 9am to 8pm).

We also encourage local people to consider consulting their local pharmacy, GP or ringing NHS 111 for advice.

We will of course continue to monitor things, in line with our agreed escalation policy, to ensure the safety of our patients.

Anne Main’s ‘weasel words’ attacked

Local Liberal Democrats have condemned Anne Main’s explanation of why she voted with the Government against an opposition motion to seek to scrap VAT on women’s sanitary products.

Chris White, Liberal Democrat leader on St Albans District Council, said: ‘Right-thinking people all know that it is wrong to tax these items as if they were luxuries.

‘But to claim that you voted against something which you really agree with because you were given assurances by a minister in this government is either naive or cynical.

‘And Anne Main is not naive. Her explanation is just weasel words.’

Chris added: ‘The role of an MP is to represent her constituents. She has failed yet again to do so. The other day it was tax credits. Yesterday it was tampons. Tomorrow no doubt she will administer yet another kicking to the less well off in St Albans.’

Road congestion around Watford hospital

The county council has established an experimental one way system in Vicarage Road, which is massively increasing journey times (adding anything up to three quarters of an hour at certain times).

Watford councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst is on the case and trying to get Herts CC to see sense.

You may want to review journey times and anyway avoid the area unless absolutely necessary.

West Herts Hospitals Trust put into special measures

Chris White, Liberal Democrat county group spokesperson on Health, said in reaction to today’s Care Quality Commission inspection report into the West Herts Hospitals Trust (dealing with the Watford, St Albans and Hemel hospitals): ‘We had suspected for a while that the report would be bad but this is even worse than was feared – one of the worst ever issued.

‘It is important to put into action a plan for improving the services at the three hospitals and for the public to gain reassurance that the services are on an upwards and not a downwards trajectory. CQC insisting, however, that notices are put up on all sites saying the hospital is in special measures is hardly likely to help public confidence.

Chris continued: ‘The county council has the role of scrutinising the NHS in Hertfordshire and we will be having a meeting with the inspectors next week where we hope to hear more about how quickly the many failings can be addressed.’

He added: ‘There has been a long history of management instability at the trust. The most recent full-time chief executive, for instance, stayed only a short while before – believe it or not – being promoted to a different role elsewhere in the NHS. It is time the government made sure that all senior managers were of the best quality and were encouraged to stay and sort out the problem rather than leave and find jobs to do elsewhere.’

Lib Dems query Herts Valleys CCG qualified audit report

 At yesterday’s Annual General Meeting of the Hertfordshire Valleys CCG (the body covering primary care and commissioning in the west of the county) Lib Dem county health spokesperson Chris White raised concerns about the fact that the external auditors had qualified the CCG’s multi-million accounts.

Chris said: ‘This is not just disappointing. It is serious. The auditors are saying that there has been a significant shortfall in savings plans and this means that the CCG has had to dip into one-off reserves to keep the show on the road.’

He added: ‘I am told that the position has improved and that there is an action plan in place to address this rather serious issue. I remain concerned, however, that there could be complacency about how effectively taxpayers’ money is being used.’

Extract from audit report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Basis for qualified conclusion

In considering the CCG’s arrangements, we identified that due to

a significant shortfall in the delivery of savings plans for 2014/15, the CCG has supported it financial performance through the use of non-recurrent funding, which had been set aside for spending on transforming the local health economy.

In addition, NHS England has raised concerns in their ‘assurance framework’ assessment of the CCG for quarter three of 2014/15 in relation to the planning and delivery of savings plans as well as financial sustainability in 2015/16.

Qualified conclusion

On the basis of our work, having regard to the guidance issued by the Audit Commission on 13 October 2014, we have identified instances where Herts Valleys CCG has not put in place proper arrangements to secure financial resilience or for challenging how it secures economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources for the year ending 31 March 2015.

Letter from Sandy Walkington about St Albans City hospital

Some of you will have received a letter from me expressing concern about the long-term future of the St Albans Hospital site once the current review of West Hertfordshire health services is completed after the General Election.

I met with the Chief Executive of the Trust earlier this week.  We talked about the future of the Waverley Road site.   We now have today’s very encouraging news that the West Hertfordshire Trust is making a £1 million investment in the site to upgrade the existing day surgery unit.

But we are still waiting for the outcome of the overall West Hertfordshire review.  I will press for the Minor Injuries Unit to be upgraded to an Urgent Care Centre, just as they have in Hemel and Welwyn Garden.

I also want to see as many outpatient clinics and day surgery services as possible located at St Albans so that local residents avoid the trek to Watford or Hemel.  Past history has too often seen St Albans hospital land being the first to be sold off, potentially limiting what can be delivered locally in the future.

The people conducting the review need to see tangible evidence that our city and district are four-square behind our hospital.  That is why we have launched a petition to support the hospital – please sign it at http://goo.gl/g3boMu

Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Hospitals under great pressure

Message from Herts Valleys CCG (NHS)

Emergency health services across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire are experiencing major pressures this week.  Accident and Emergency departments are being stretched by the number of patients arriving at their doors, as is the ambulance service.

The situation is so serious that health bosses and the most senior doctors from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire have united to deliver a hard-hitting message to the public Dr Nicolas Small, Chair of Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group said:  “The Accident and Emergency departments at our hospitals only have the capacity to treat people who have serious, life-threatening or dangerous conditions.  Ambulances should only be called in genuine emergencies.  If you use emergency services incorrectly you are risking the lives of others and won’t get the best treatment for your illness.

“If you have a minor complaint or injury you should not come to A&E in Hertfordshire or Bedfordshire: your care will not be a priority and you may even be sent away.  If you call 999 for an ambulance and your life is not at risk, you may be endangering the life of another person in desperate need of emergency care.

“More than 240 people arrived at Watford General’s A&E department yesterday, including several people who thought they may have flu asking for prescriptions, people with toothache and some women asking for the morning after pill or a pregnancy test.  Accident and Emergency was not the right place for them.

“Please do not attend our hospitals with common winter illnesses, such as chest infections, coughs and colds, diarrhoea or vomiting.  We have never seen our hospitals under such pressure before which is why it’s vital that everyone understands the urgency of the situation and what you can do to protect our essential hospital services this winter.”

There are other excellent services that can help – including some that provide instant access if you, a family member or a friend feel ill:

  • Click on to NHS Choices website – for trusted advice and information on how to look after yourself and your family. It covers  thousands of illnesses and conditions:  www.nhs.uk
  • Visit a pharmacist – for expert advice and low-cost medicines to ease your symptoms and help treat your condition. Every area has a late opening pharmacy and most have consulting rooms where you can ask for advice in private. Go to www.nhs.uk/service-search to find your nearest open pharmacist
  • Make a GP appointment.  If your GP thinks that you need to be seen at the hospital, then they will arrange a direct referral to the right specialist
  • Phone NHS 111 – for free, round the clock medical help when your GP is closed when it’s urgent but not a life-threatening 999 situation.
  • Please also remember that there is a Minor Injuries Unit at St Albans City Hospital (open 9am – 8pm every day) and an Urgent Care Centre in Hemel Hempstead (open 24/7 every day).

Be safe in the water this summer

Message from the County Council

In support of Royal Life Saving Society’s Drowning Prevention Week (22 – 30 June), Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board is encouraging those enjoying the sunshine near, in or on the water to take care and be aware of the hidden dangers water can pose, particularly for young children.

More than 400 people drown in the UK each year, and thousands suffer near-drowning experiences. Shockingly, drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death in children in the UK.

Chairman of Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (HSCB) Phil Picton said: “Many of us like to spend time by water during the summer but we must remember that it can be dangerous, especially for young children. It can take less than a minute for an accident to happen, yet the consequences could change your life forever. HSCB would therefore like to take this chance to remind our residents to enjoy water safely, and to keep an eye on their children when they are around water, to prevent tragic incidents occurring.”

HSCB will be distributing campaign flyers across the county, to raise awareness of the hazards water presents to children and how to best keep them safe. Advice includes:

•  Supervising children while they are in, on or near water
•  Using safety measures such as self-closing gates, safety nets, fences and locks around pools of water to prevent children gaining access to them
•  Emptying containers of water, such as paddling pools, immediately after use
•  Making sure children wear support aids, such as water wings or lifejackets, if they are in, on or near water.

Schools, leisure centres and anyone working with families can request material by visitingwww.hertssafeguarding.org.uk/adults and clicking on the ‘safety advice and campaigns’ sub-section.

You can find out more about Drowning Prevention Week at www.drowningpreventionweek.org.uk