Do Dacorum's disappearing MPs really care about our healthcare?
- NONE of Dacorum's three MPs were apparently interested enough in the future of local hospital services to turn up at recent public meetings about them
- There were four short NHS meetings in Dacorum about the NHS plan to demolish Hemel Hospital and replace it with a Hub on the small Market Square
- David Taylor (Hemel), Victoria Collins (Harpenden and Berkhamsted) and Gagan Mohindra (South West Herts) all have constituents in the Borough, which could be about to lose its last hospital.
- Not one of those elected representatives was seen at any of the meetings
- Dacorum Health Action Group has offered to bring the MPs up to date
Dacorum councillors consult us on dog control - but not on Hospital closure
- Twisted priorities from our local politicians
- Dacorum councillors have formally consulted the public on DOG CONTROL ORDERS in Hemel town centre
- But they don't consider us worth consulting on the future of the town's HOSPITAL
- A formal public consultation for dog control orders in the town centre was carried out earlier this year
- BUT councillors and NHS bosses have REFUSED to consult the public on the Council's plan to close Hemel Hempstead Hospital and replace it with a Hub in the Market Square
What's up Doc? NHS split over Hemel Hospital closure?
- West Herts Trust clinicians don't seem convinced that closing Hemel Hospital and opening Hemel Hub will improve health outcomes
- NOT ONE HOSPITAL DOCTOR FROM THE TRUST APPEARED AT RECENT 'ENGAGEMENT' MEETINGS TO BACK THE HUB
- Trust's Chief Nurse Kelly McGovern appeared at a meeting. She backed the idea of bringing more services together, but was non-committal about where that should happen
- Two local GPs presented at the meetings, but neither made a convincing case that the switch to the Hub was needed to improve our services
- The Hub is mainly backed by NHS managers and some councillors.
- It's driven by finance and regeneration motives, not clinical need
Threat to Dacorum democracy as Watford takeover looms
- Dacorum Council to be abolished under Government plans
- We could end up overwhelmed by Watford Council - unscrupulous lobbyists for the woeful Watford General rebuild
- Nightmare scenario could see ONE SINGLE 'UNITARY' COUNCIL FOR DACORUM, WATFORD AND ST ALBANS
- THAT WOULD MEAN DACORUM BEING OUTVOTED ON ISSUES RELATED TO OUR HOSPITAL BY THOSE WHO HAVE WORKED TO TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM OUR SERVICES
- The only decent option is 'Four unitaries', which would link Dacorum to just St Albans - we can outvote them!!!
- Take a look at this page and HAVE YOUR SAY.
- WE NEED FOUR UNITARIES TO SAVE DACORUM'S DEMOCRACY - AND OUR HOSPITAL SERVICES
- https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/proposed-options
Claim for Market Square Hub is just incredible!
- NHS claim that the Market Square Hub is the right option makes NO SENSE
- This table of assessments of site options claims a five-storey £30m building on a busy street is more 'deliverable' than extensions to a modern building in its own grounds
- Claims made during meetings this week - with NO EVIDENCE to back them up - try to shore up bid to close Hemel Hospital and replace it with the Hub
- DHAG will be demanding the evidence
THE OPTIONS FOR FUTURE OF OUR LOCAL HOSPITAL SERVICES -TAKE THE SURVEY
- Options for future of Dacorum's local hospital services have been sent to some County Councillors
- This survey is your chance to have your say - Hub or Hospital?
- https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MXBYBGF
Next week's campus/hub meetings - the details
- Online meeting on future hospital facilities for Dacorum. Monday 15 September at 6.30 pm:
To join the event please use the following link on Monday 15 September: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/
- Public meeting Wednesday 17 September, 630 pm, South Hill Centre, Hemel. Contact Heather Aylward to register - heather.aylward@nhs.net.
Will Health Hub improve access? Perhaps not ...
- Claims that Hemel Health Hub will improve access to hospital services don't really add up
- Hemel Hospital has 430 car spaces
- Closing the Hospital and moving services to the Market Square would put major pressure on th 600-space Water Gardens car park
- Most cars for the Hub patients could end up on the TOP DECK of the Water Gardens - IF there was enough room
- Steep exposed steps could make the walk to the Hub risky - unless a costly lift is built
- AND It could easily take longer to walk from the spread-out Water Gardens car park to a new Market Square building than it takes to get from Asda to X-Ray and blood clinic.
Market Square rated badly as site for our hospital
- Hemel's Market Square came JOINT BOTTOM the last time NHS experts rated possible sites for developing Dacorum's hospital services
- In 2018, the Market Square option got just 8 out of 16 on a scoreboard of things like:
- OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY,
- FUNCTIONAL SUITABILITY AND
- WIDER ECONOMIC BENEFIIT
- NHS technical experts gave top scores ranging from 11 to 13 out of 16 to various options on the CURRENT HEMEL HOSPITAL SITE
- So - WHY are the Council and the NHS so keen to close our Hospital ?
- WHY THE RUSH TO THE MARKET SQUARE, WHICH FAILED THE TESTS LAST TIME?
- A table summarising selected ratings from the 2018 draft Strategic Outline Case reviewed by the Herts Valleys CCG Board is here:
- Scores 2018
- See the whole document in the previous post:
- https://dhag.org.uk/news-updates/market-square-was-rejected-as-hospital-site-by-nhs/
Car park cock-up hits Market Square Hub plans
- There's embarrassment for Dacorum Council and the NHS as their favoured Market Square Hub scheme runs into car park trouble
- The Hub would feature an Urgent Treatment Centre, open to at least 10 pm daily.
- David Taylor MP is rightly insisting on rehabilitation and step-down beds being provided at the new facility
- BUT - The main car parking facility would be at the Water Gardens
- Unfortunately that car park closes at 6 pm, which prevents the sort of noisy car and bike racing that used to plague the facility and disturb local residents
- So the NHS and the Council have a tough choice if they continue with their unpopular and expensive plan to move services a few hundred metres across Marlowes.
- Perhaps they will have to either:
- Allow the boy racers to start up again by opening the car park in the evening - OR
- Close the Hub at 6pm