Keeping the NHS Promise to Royston

Royston residents were pleased to hear of major investment in the health and care infrastructure of the town with a brand new care home and a £1 million extension to the Health Centre, but this was on the basis that NHS intermediate care patients would continue to be treated in hospital or care home beds in Royston during the building of the new care home. There were also questions to be asked about ensuring that the future health needs of the town were met by the new building works.

However, immediately after the decision by NHS Hertfordshire we were told that the Hertfordshire Community NHS trust, which provides the nursing staff for the hospital, had intervened to say that they would no longer staff Royston and that Royston patients would actually be sent to Hitchin for an indefinite period. This is completely unacceptable and local County Councillors and I have written to the newspapers and made our postion clear to the NHS. We want the NHS to keep its promise to Royston. A further meeting is planned in the near future. The letters are below.

Letter to Local Papers:

Dear Sir,

We are writing about Royston Hospital and its services. We want to ensure the best possible outcome for Royston residents.

NHS Hertfordshire PCT currently owns and manages Royston Hospital, which has 12 beds usable for intermediate care for Stevenage and North Hertfordshire patients. Hitchin Hospital provides similar beds for the area too. The separate Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust are based at Royston Hospital providing the nursing care for the beds and District Nurse and Community Nursing services to local residents in their homes. There are about 30 outpatient clinics which operate from time to time, of which physiotherapy is the largest.

Last year, NHS Hertfordshire decided to place its intermediate care patients closer to their homes and beds are to be provided through the NHS in care homes. So, Stevenage patients will be in beds in Stevenage and Baldock patients in Baldock and so on. Hitchin Hospital is to close. Royston area patients in beds in Royston Hospital usually number about 5.

Last November, NHS Hertfordshire started a consultation on the future for Royston Hospital services. This was widely covered in our local papers and Oliver Heald put out a Press Statement asking local residents to read the proposals and take part.

They are planning to knock down the existing Hospital, because it is worn out and build a brand new care home, which will also provide our Royston NHS beds for intermediate care. The Herts County Council Social Services will lead on the building project and the land is likely to be sold to the care home developer, because care homes in Hertfordshire are in the independent sector.

There were choices to be made about whether the outpatients and Community Nursing services would be better provided at the new care home on the existing site or in the town centre. NHS Hertfordshire suggested an option of putting the outpatients and clinics at the Health Centre in a first storey extension. This would also provide a lift and give much needed additional space for Dr Brownrigg’s practice. This would cost almost £1 million.

A meeting “Conversation Cafe” was advertised and took place at the Golf Club with a good turnout and it was clear that there were mixed views in the town. We have met the Friends of Royston Hospital, NHS representatives and a number of GPs and other councillors and heard views from many local people. Some people would like the outpatients and clinics to be at the existing Hospital site for the future as part of the new care home. Some prefer the Health Centre extension option long term and some would like a brand new Health Centre on a site yet to be identified.

NHS Hertfordshire have now announced their decision that they are going to allow Herts County Council to build the care home on the Hospital site and that the Health Centre will have the extension built.

The consultation was on the basis that Royston’s intermediate care patients would always be in beds in the Royston area, either at the Hospital or in local care homes, while the new care home is built. However, shortly after NHS Hertfordshire’s decision, the Community NHS Trust suddenly said it was no longer able to staff the beds at Royston Hospital and that patients from Royston would have to go to Hitchin Hospital for an indefinite period. This is unacceptable. The Community NHS Trust must comply with the clear basis of the consultation and ensure Royston patients remain in Royston area. We are taking this up with them urgently.

We are asking NHS Hertfordshire about the medium term, as Royston is expanding and will need more health facilities. We are also asking about the proceeds of sale of the site and whether money will be available as a legacy to provide for future health facilities in Royston. It is important that plans for the new building take account of and allow for future town expansion and future health needs.

We are arranging a further meeting with NHS Hertfordshire. The outpatients and Community Nursing services will be based at Royston Hospital, until the new Health Centre extension is completed.

It is welcome that the extension to the Health Centre is going ahead and a brand new care home is being built. This is a major investment in Royston’s health and care infrastructure. However, we are concerned that Royston patients should be treated in Royston and to see the full picture for the future and are therefore pressing for answers to the points above.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Heald MP
County Councillor Fiona Hill
County Councillor Tony Hunter

Letter to Hertfordshire NHS Community Trust :

David Law, Chief Executive,
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust,
Unit 1A Howard Court,
14 Tewin Road,
Welwyn Garden City,
Hertfordshire AL7 1BW. 16 April 2012

Dear Mr Law,

Royston Hospital

The recent consultation regarding the future of Royston Hospital was on the basis that Royston’s intermediate care patients would always be in beds in the Royston area, either at the Hospital or in local care homes, while the new care home is built. Responses were made on that basis and so was the decision. However, shortly after NHS Hertfordshire’s decision, the Community NHS Trust suddenly said it was no longer able to staff the beds at Royston Hospital and that patients from Royston would have to go to Hitchin Hospital for an indefinite period. This is unacceptable.

It is my firm belief that the Community NHS Trust must comply with the clear basis of the consultation and ensure Royston patients remain in Royston area. I would be grateful for your urgent assurance that the NHS promise to Royston will be kept either by reopening the necessary beds at Royston Hospital or contracting for these services from care homes locally.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Heald MP

Cameron promises to cut the deficit, and NOT the NHS

David Cameron has pledged to protect NHS spending and outlined the Conservative Reform Plan for the NHS.

David has explained how much worse health outcomes have become under Labour and pointed out that life expectancy and infant mortality rates for poor and rich have now widened so much that they are as big as they were in Victorian times!

I think that it’s a very good idea to make the NHS “accountable to the people, not the politicians”, and I also like the idea of focusing spending on preventable diseases and public health priorities.

In total David set out 20 ways in which he wants to improve Britain’s health services, including:
- end the scandal of mixed sex accommodation and increase the number of single rooms in hospitals;
- give mothers real choice over where to have their baby and introduce local “maternity networks” to ensure that mothers can safely access the right care, in the right place, at the right time; and
- allow everyone, on retirement, to protect their homes from being sold to fund residential care cost by paying a one-off insurance premium of £8,000

Some good news on social care and the NHS

A constituent recently made contact to praise the work of the Orchard Residential Unit in Spencer Way Letchworth Garden City. She asked me to let David Cameron know of the excellent care and attention Mrs Maggie Pinner, Manager and her staff give. She could not wish for better treatment and – knowing David’s own personal commitment to the NHS – she wanted him to hear good news about the NHS as it was so often critical.

The Letchworth experience has been very positive and she wanted it known how grateful they are particularly to Mrs Pinner. I have immediately contacted David to tell him of the excellent care she provides to her patients.

Well done to the Orchard House!

The fires in Australia and hospital appointments

I was talking to constituents from Letchworth today who told me how sad they felt to see on TV the devastation caused by the terrible fires that have affected the State of Victoria in Australia, and to hear of the fatalities and destruction. I am sure that we all hope that family and friends there have been able to avoid the loss and damage and that the thoughts of Hertfordians are with Victorians.

I thought that Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister, spoke powerfully in condemning the fireraisers, who have caused so much misery. I have written to a friend of mine in the Victoria State Parliament Andrew McIntosh giving him my best wishes at this difficult time.

I have also been asked to look into the way “Choose and Book” for hospitals works, if you use the telephone. Apparently, no written confirmation is sent. One constituent feels that this is unhelpful for those who do not use the internet and that it is no wonder that appointments are not always kept. I think she has a point and will be asking the local NHS Chief Nick Carver what can be done about this.

It has also been pointed out to me again how difficult it is to negotiate the stairs at Letchworth Railway Station. I am pleased that our campaign has finally succeeded and that the work to put in new lifts will be done soon.

My Support for Local GPs

On Friday I was presented with an 8,000 name petition by local patients anxious to be able to keep their doctors’ surgery and not wanting the Government’s polyclinics, or local surgeries to be taken over by international companies. The petition was handed over at Nevells Road Surgery by Dr Peter Graves, Chief Executive of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Local Medical Committee Limited and it was good to be able to meet local doctors, including Dr Smallwood and his Partners and in particular Dr Mel Lacy, who was the first local doctor to raise these issues with me.

When I was a Conservative Health Spokesman, I remember visiting Berlin and being told how pleased East Germans were when the polyclinics of the Communist era were abolished after reunification. There are a few polyclinics left in major cities, but most East German patients preferred a more personalised service. I am surprised and saddened that the Government is considering the idea of building its health policy on this outmoded idea. There may be a case for polyclinics in some large cities but it is clearly not popular in our area. Across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire over 92,000 patients have now signed the petition against the Government’s plans.