Berkhamsted
Citizens
Association

Here we are in 2008 and exactly where is the hospital saga now?

The location for the new Hemel Hempstead Hospital, which was to be decided late September or early October, hasn’t been.

The A&E dept is closed between 10pm and 8am ‘due to safety reasons’ (aka - no staff).

The Trust is looking to become a ‘Foundation Trust’ and to this end is consulting - ends mid November.

The Trust is expected to be ‘profit’ next year.

Public interest is, well, riveting. Less than 10 people actually went to 2 meetings held in the town - that’s a total of less than 10, not per meeting!!

The new ‘Surgicentre’, might not be, the new medical centre might not have any local staff. Word is that lot’s of doctors can’t be bothered with general practice, so they will be practicing on us - for a private firm getting paid for at least 2 years, whether or not anyone walks through the door. Local GP’s will not be providing access to residents medical history. So it’s either your own doctor, Watford for Accidents and Emergencies, St. Albans for elective and planned surgery, a building somewhere in Dacorum for diagnostics and recovery.

Watch for DHAG letter posting day on November 16th in Gadebridge Park.


New for 2009!!

The new General Hospital will be located at The Gateway, Breakspear Way, Hemel Hempstead and the decision will be made in mid March.

Redundant parts of the existing Hemel Hospital will be mothballed and prepared for sell off (demolished!) by the end of June 2009.

How do we know? Well, as a stakeholder we were promised a meeting in September (2008) or was it October (2008) and then January 2009. I hear that the meeting was held in early February 2009 - only they forgot to actually tell anyone. How do we know this - an accident, honest! Another meeting was being held in the same building at the same time and in looking for the other meeting, a couple of members of DHAG stumbled into a room full of NHS staff being giving the low down on the plans (yet to be decided!). Naturally, the ‘guest list’ was produced and guess what - invites hadn’t been sent out, so the saga unfolded.

April 2009
The transfer of services to the Watford facility went without a hitch - according to the Trust. Also according to a Trust spokesman (Heather Britton - membership manager(?)), she has never heard of the West Herts Hospital, the existing Hillfield Road site is safe and will have the existing hospital buildings either refurbished (the new ones) or rebuilt (old ones) and no buildings will be demolished.

Remember the birthing unit is being reconsidered to be reopened and ‘consultation’ will commence in June (don’t you dare go away!), which is about the same time that most of the existing Hemel site will unused (not unloved!).

The consultation on the location of the new hospital was due to take place prior to the final decision being made at the end of March 2009. Something else I missed!!

A rumour has been circulating that it might be announced at the 19th May public board meeting at Bourne End, however this may be postponed until later as the consultation might not provide the ‘right’ decision, but there again, the consultation hasn’t actually really taken place.
Just in case you haven’t heard, the decision is not now expected until the early June meeting of the Trust at Shendish Manor.
So, to summarise:
We may get a new Hemel General Hospital if funding is available
The privately run ‘Urgent Care’ will be fully funded for at least 3 years even if not used.
Most of the existing hospital site may or may not be sold off before the new one(s) (Watford completed and HLGH) are ready.
We have another 20,000 odd new homes by 2021.
The hospital Trust will turn into a self funding Foundation Trust (or not).

It don’t look good, do it? Pop along to the DHAG web site (www.savehemel.com) and offer help!

It really isn’t just me or the Association. Have a look at Page 36/37 (on screen 29/30) from the latest REX program


Primary Care Trust has a Board meeting on June 9th