NHS West Hertfordshire Board Meeting in Public - June 9th, 2PM, Longman Suite at Shendish Manor

At 14.01 at the Public Board meeting of the local PCT, the item on the Agenda reads ‘Hemel Hempstead General Hospital Location’ and the presentation goes on until 14:30. This will be followed by questions from board members and the public. At 15:00 a discussion by board members and decision by 15:30 (ish!).

You can download the paperwork from www.whertspct.nhs.uk and follow links - home; meetings and events; pct board; board papers for meetings held in public; board meeting in public to be held on 9th June 2009 at 2pm

The recommendations are:
1. The Gateway site is the best site, but has no infrastructure.
2. The Gateway site should be purchased.
3. Keep options open to purchase the Hillfield Road site.

It’s interesting how these recommendations are got to. The Hillfield Road site has to be purchased from the West Herts Hospital Trust which begs the question - why? The ‘allocated’ land behind the site is ignored (Gateway has space to expand!). The WHHT is assumed to want an arm and a leg for the land as it is ‘prime’ building land.
The recent High Court decision regarding the land up at Buncefield but concern is included by having the Hillfield Road site as a back up location.

You can read the paper and you may come to the same conclusion as I did. The argument for the Gateway site could easily be used to move the ‘new improved Watford General Hospital’ to a new high tech greenfield location close to major roads/motorways and providing all services, including A&E and trauma on a site which is easy to build, expand and provide the services a growing town/road network needs.
The argument for Hillfield Road is for what they propose - a local downgraded health facility.

They need to actually make a decision themselves rather than keep paying consultants and passing the buck.

See you Tuesday!  

I’ve done a summary on my web -site if you want to see


Bringing things up to date, the latest Borough Council wheeze actually affects our health. Remember the ‘greenfield’ site mentioned just above? The land is handily just next to Woodwells Cemetery and the Borough Council have just (?) realised that the land designated to expand said cemetery, is this very same ‘greenfield’ site. Now there is a surprise! Naturally, this will mean trying to find another location for a new cemetery for about five years time. It appears that Council staff and Councillors haven’t actually been to the Hemel Industrial area for some time, as the vacant plots and buildings are sooooo.... Depressing and why would you need yet more vacant buildings when it already has a use - ve vill all die sometime!

Whilst clearing out my desk, just another item on the same subject - Private Corporations have an eye on our GP practices - like the ‘urgent care centre’ (still no one has explained the practical difference between A&E and Urgent Care Centre as if it’s  Urgent, it’s an emergency - or just go to your GP!.

Anyway - pop along to www.savemygp.co.uk for more information.

Just received on 24th September 2009:

For your information, if you or any friends have had hospital experiences - especially Watford since Hemel was reduced to an Urgent Care Centre - accounts of such experiences can be put to a team next Monday.

That is to take place at the Friends Meeting House, The Alleys, St Mary's Road (off the High Street in Hemel) between 2.0pm and 8.0pm on Monday, 28th September.

Sat 31st October 2009 - don’t get old!

My 81year old stepfather keeps an eye on one of his less elderly neighbours who lives on her own. Makes his usual phone call on Saturday morning but gets no reply. On with the coat and shoes and trundles up the hill to her front door. No answer, so lets himself in to find Chris (his neighbour) lying on the floor unconscious.

He calls 999 and within 10 minutes, the paramedic arrives and diagnoses dehydration and half staved as she hadn’t eaten for 3 days. Recommends hospitalisation but Chris says no. It appears only a doctor can ‘make’ her go. Paramedic says that that is the best he can do, and that her doctor should be called.

As she has meals on wheels everyday and someone comes everyday to supervise the eating thereof, my stepfather calls the social care number to get advice. They provide the doctors call out number and for some reason, my step-father actually called it, only to be greeted with the requirement to phone 999! The doctors deputising service finally returned the calls late in the afternoon with the excuse that ‘he’ was very busy and will get to her as soon as possible. She finally got taken to Watford about 8pm on Saturday evening which was at least 12 hours after the patient first needed assistance.

Why are these situations still happening and what’s the betting that the current external review of health services in the area finds that everything is fine and dandy?