Community Voice Health

Reading about three Board Meetings could be a marathon - so this just gives highlights. Watford PCT and Hillingdon PCT met on Tuesday, with Hillingdon Hospital Trust following, on Wednesday

Firstly common factors:
1. All these Boards watch finances like hawks - all have marginally overspent in the first quarter of the year, but still expect to break even in March 2009.
2. All are concerned about meeting infection targets, but all are reporting fewer cases, which is good news for patients.
3. None are meeting “Choose and Book” targets, but more patients are gradually having hospital appointments booked electronically, in GP surgeries.
4. New health centres are on the way - at Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Garden City and Yiewsley – with building contracts hopefully in place by the end of 2008.
5. All have plans to tackle reductions in smoking and childhood obesity, and to increase rates of immunisation, screening and breast feeding.

Special Hillingdon items include:
1. Despite being in the top hospitals nationally for MRSA cases compared with number of beds, Hillingdon Hospital thinks its MRSA target is unfair. It started with few cases, but its target gets smaller each year and is now down to just 12 cases. Other same size hospitals have targets twice as big! “Failing” causes bad publicity and shakes patient confidence – remember this if it is unlucky and gets 13 cases!
2. Big news is that Hillingdon Hospital hopes to become a Foundation Trust in March 2009 and it has promised to continue holding Board Meetings in public! The Community Voice has long campaigned for this, as many FTs hold all Board Meetings in private.
3. The Mount Vernon Treatment Centre expects a grand opening in January 2009, with access aided by a new car park and a new road replacing the old “C” Block. But, who will open it - the Queen opened the Princess Christian building - so will she come again?
4. Also good news, Hillingdon Hospital’s pilot ward with single rooms will be completed in August and the public will be able to see it at an Open Day in September.

Watford issues include:
1. A new Urgent Care Centre is due to open at Hemel Hempstead in October 2008.
2. It was expected that by then inpatients would be received by the new Acute Admissions Unit at Watford Hospital – but the latter project has slipped to March 2009, leading to double running costs. The Primary Care Trust has set aside £2m to cover all such costs
3. The rate of GP referrals to West Herts. Hospital Trust is causing concern, up by 11.5% in first two months of 2008-09 compared with last year Causes are being explored, including patients being sent back to GPs (instead of consultant to consultant referrals), and possibly re-admissions following too early discharge from hospital.
4. Herts. County Council will get £361K per year for the next three years, to fund its Local Involvement Network (LINk). It must appoint a host organisation to provide administrative and other support to the LINk and it hopes to do so by September.

Joan

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment