The New Harwich Hospital

EssexGurl · The New Harwich Hospital

Ok what I have been told hasnt been confirmed so dont shot me if the info I have is wrong.

1. The A&E department is being taken over on about the 18th december, I think by the new pct and for 3 weeks from the middle of december it will be closed. I think at weekends - a coincidance??

2. The Dr's from the health centre are no longer going to be paid to treat their patients at the hospital. The on call doctor thingy service (the one that runs out of clacton) will be paid to give care to those in the hospital. I think that there is nothing stopping our docs visiting but they wont get paid. So the ill people will get treated by someone who knows nothing about them and their history.

3. The dr's from the health centre will not move not only because of the cost but also because they think that the medical centre is sub standard.

As I said before this is as far as I know rumour though I get the feeling that there is a lot of truth in all of this.

amenity

I have heard from a fairly reliable source that EG is correct. Several questions spring to mind.

Who decided that it was efficient to ask a doctor in Clacton to travel perhaps for as much as 1 to 2 hours per attendance at Harwich?

Was any account taken of the carbon footprint we hear so much about?

Which arbiter will be called in to investigate the state of the accomodation set aside for doctors at the new clinic?

Is such treatment of our doctors a foretaste of the treatment our patients will receive?

amenity

amenity

The extract below is taken from the PCT's chairmans report.
See the full document at.

http://216.239.59.104/search?q=ca...te&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8

And we are very pleased to report
that all of our 21 GP practices are
supporting the Practice Based
Commissioning initiative, enabling
our clinicians to have a much closer
involvement in decisions around
commissioning services.
A major landmark in the PCT’s
year has been the completion of
construction at the Fryatt Hospital
and Mayflower Medical Centre,
Harwich. The delay in its opening
has obviously been a major
disappointment to us all, but I’m
sure that within a year or two these
early frustrations will be just a
distant memory and the exciting
new services on offer for patients in
the Dovercourt and Harwich areas
will be what is at the forefront of
everyone’s minds.

EssexGurl

amenity

Looking at the papers tonight I give the honour to the EADT over the EG and the Standard.
The hospital was front page with the EADT.
As to content 'cos it was on the front page I bought the EADT couldn't take a chance with the others in case the hospital was not covered.
Seems to me all the assurances about our NHS staying public are worth nought.
Privatise the building, privatise the doctors, presumably privatise the nurses.

What's left.

Years ago Harwich and Dovercourt owned the hospital, in good faith it was transferred to the emerging NHS with promises. Recently it has been spirited away with deft dealing.
Now what?

EssexGurl

This is off the EADT website.

A DECISION to stop local doctors from providing patient care at a newly built hospital in an Essex town has been branded “horrendous”.

GPs from three surgeries in Harwich have provided “in hours” care for their patients at the town's hospitals for 50 years.

But the recently formed North East Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT) - an amalgamation of Colchester and Tendring PCTs - has told them their services would no longer be required.

To save money the service will now be provided by Primecare, a company the NHS already uses to provide care for patients at weekends and during the night in Tendring.

The company will take full control of patient care at the new £12million Fryatt Hospital and Mayflower Medical Centre on December 18.

Dr Richard Alldrick, a GP who has worked in a practice in the town for 23 years, is among those to be hit by the changes.

He said: “The new PCT has just taken a unilateral decision that is going to severely affect the people of Harwich and Dovercourt.

“The trouble is that this is a Government driven issue that we can't do anything about but we do feel in Tendring that we've always been the poor relation in regards to Colchester.

“What will be lost is the personal service that the people of Harwich and Dovercourt have had for 50 years. Our input into the hospital will actually now be nil.”

Dr Alldrick is in charge of the Dovercourt Health Centre - one of the three local surgeries affected by the move. The others are run by Dr Austen Wynne and Dr Stuart Child.

The new hospital has been beset by problems, even before opening its doors in September.

Earlier this month the EADT reported the site was still not fully operational and services, including the minor injuries unit, were left unused as workers were sent to Colchester to cover staff shortages.

Questions still remain about the unopened operating theatre and X-ray department while there are fears about the future of the maternity unit.

Vickie Williams, the chairman of Tendring Health Action Group, said people felt the area had been short-changed since the merger of the primary care trusts.

She said: “A doctor knows his patients' needs and their history. This is just horrendous - when doctors cannot go into hospital to see their patients.

“We have had a lot of Government funding - that is not the issue. But Tendring PCT had a surplus which was ear-marked for the area which we no longer have.”

She said that she had written to Paul Zollinger-Read, Chief Executive of the new PCT, to ask for the promised services to finally be delivered.

She added: “They have closed the leg ulcer unit and the minor injuries unit is closed more than it is open.

“I think we will be short changed by the merger - they are going to concentrate on Colchester and we will be the forgotten people.

“We have a beautiful state-of-the-art hospital and it is lovely, but they cannot keep taking the services away from us.”

But Matt Bushell, director of strategic development and commissioning for North East Essex PCT, said all areas of current expenditure were under review.

“We understand some concerns have been raised by patient representatives and other groups in Harwich concerning the provision of 'in hours on call' medical support to the Fryatt Hospital and Mayflower Medical Centre, Harwich.

“This provides a rota of doctors who can be called upon to visit patients on the wards, if such a medical need should arise.

“Specific to the 'in hours on call' service in Harwich, the PCT is putting in place an alternative provider, Primecare, which is already contracted to us for the out-of-hours GP cover in the Tendring area.

“On a pilot basis, Primecare will provide a service to the Fryatt Hospital which includes additional quality standards but at a more competitive cost.”

He said the PCT was responsible for delivering “appropriate, continuing and effective” care to the local population but also for getting best value from its funding allocations.

The new service arrangements in Harwich will be fully reviewed during the pilot period and a tender will then be issued setting out “specification of need” for future requirements, which local GPs will be able to bid for.

EssexGurl

And this off the EG website - I didnt see what was in the actual paper, but there was slightly more than this in the standard but I cant believe what a poor write up it got on the EG website.

Long-serving GPs at Harwich's Hospital have been replaced.

The doctors, based in Dovercourt, claimed patients will be furious after the decision by the North East Essex Primary Care Trust.

A new care provider has been chosen to do the ward visits. The scheme is on a three-month trial period.

amenity

And EssexGurl they (Standard) told you to be patient, wait and read it in the paper.

EssexGurl

Yeah I know.

Even though the bit in the standard is bigger than on the EG website it doesnt give as much info and doesnt read as well as the EADT websites story.

amenity

Did you see tonights Evening Gazette Essexgurl? Seems like we might be getting through.

EssexGurl

No I dont buy it as a rule. What did it say?

amenity

Sorry about the delay on this EssexGurl,
I had got confused with the Standard and Evening Gazette, a Sen moment I'm afraid.

amenity

So they are shutting down the QE2 at Hatfield, must be obvious to all and sundry this government has used all it's cash elswhere.

Instead of providing staff they talk about new buildings, help!

ferret

Speaking to an outpatient today who said there are few people in the new hospital every time she visits. Lack of staff or lack of facilities? Her main comment was she thought it was a big white elephant.
What is the real problem with the floor?
I have an old aerial from 1949 that clearly shows a hug willow tree in that spot, which always grows near water. Older people can remember going fishing in a huge pond there. Has this anything to do with the present problems? I hear that a hydrologist has inspected the sight. Does anyone know if it is true about the hydrologist and if so what where his findings?l

EssexGurl

I believe there is a natural spring there.

amenity

I wonder if TDC would provide the information about the spring and it's consequences under the Freedom of Information act?

EssexGurl

I cant imagine why they wouldnt.

There was a report in the paper a while ago about the water under the town centre and the hole in the main road - some people I know seemed to think it was part of this and that there may have been more than one spring.

ferret

I have it on good authority that the little shelter outside the hospital was removed by the contractors and sold for £600 and has been seen at Boxted.

The old hospital site cannot be built on for 5 years.

Only mobile X-rays can be given at the present time.
New euipment for that department not available until next spring or summer. The operating theatre has not got a license for something it needs to use.
No blood tests at Dovercourt or Colchester Hospitals soon as G.P.s are going to do them. Imagine if you need a fasting one and you cannot get an early appointment with your Doctor.

EssexGurl

I have been told that its true about the bus shelter.

amenity

Surely this amounts to theft?

ferret

I think you are probably right Amenity, but what can we do about it?

Karl Duguid

amenity

Under Health Issues see "Wanna live longa"

EssexGurl

EssexGurl

amenity

EssexGurl says "Well I guess that depends. If the shelter was on hospital land then the developers would just claim ownership of everything on the land. But morally I do think it does amount to it.

But as Ferret says what can you do about it. These developers seem to be a law unto themselves at times."

Is being on hospital land sufficient reason to claim ownership, after all our electric meters and gas meters remain the property of the respective boards/companies maybe such ownership remains with whoever owned the shelter?
Maybe the owners are not interested in pursuing this on behalf of the people of this peninsula?

Maybe it is still theft whether or not anyone wishes to follow it up?

EssexGurl

I'm guessing it depends on what the terms were when they handed over the land. I wouldnt have put it past them to just say "its all yours do with it what you will."

Does naybody have any idea who owened the shelter. I vaguelly remember someone saying that the local people raised the money for the shelter so by that do we think that the people owened it and not one company? Who paid for the upkeep? I'm guessing that when it was taken away they hoped that no one would question it and if the locals did kick up a fuss it would die down quickly - which is what happened.

Perhpas someone ought to go to Boxted and claim owenership.

amenity

Wouldn't it be nice if one of our councillors had the bottle to do just that?

suffolkpunch

Why wait for the councillors to get off their backsides?

If anyone knows where it is in Boxtead the people could go and claim it.

Anybody got a pickup that could take a shelter? Laughing

ferret

The shelter was built by local builder Saunders as a bus shelter for the nurses. I would assume it would have been dedicated to the hospital.
We really need to know who it belonged to for certain.

EssexGurl

Here's one for the reporters.

So the trust have saved 50k by using these on call doctors, but whats the reality of it.

Well my friend works for an undertakers. She has just spent 2 days trying to get the body of an old lady released. The doctor from the oncall service (i forget its name) filled in the forms wrong. Apparently when the body is to be cremated it needs to be seen and and a form signed by 2 docs. This idiot from the oncall filled in the form wrong, stating he hadnt seen the body - he had. The hopital couldnt get hold of him to get it sorted. So my mates mum has been in contact with all sorts including the coroner. Of course during all of this there is the ladies family who are of course grieving the loss of their loved one at what must be a difficult time of year to do it and they arent able to sort anything out as no one can do anything cos of the sheer incompetance of this doc. So the outcome of it all is that 2 docs from Harwich will do the form correctly. That'll be 2 docs from Harwich that wont be needed cos its saving the trust 50k. So its good to know that sacking the docs from Harwich is working out as well as everything else to do with that bloody great whit elephant we call a hospital.

I hope the 2 docs from Harwich put in a nice large bill for their services - if it were me it would be in the region of £50,000 (each).

amenity

Ahh, but, Essex Gurl, you are forgetting, the trust WILL HAVE LEARN'T A LESSON FROM THIS.
I can't find an emoticon for SCREAMING

When politicians say "I believe" or "it is a matter of judgment" or "we have learn't lessons from this."
I am concerned.

amenity

Listening to the radio today here's another for my list of concerning statements from potty polly's
Bush; "I am inclined to believe"

EssexGurl

I'm betting it'll be called 'teething problems' just like everything else that has gone wrong and then nothing at all will change.

amenity

EG said
"I'm betting it'll be called 'teething problems' just like everything else that has gone wrong and then nothing at all will change."

I bet the Minister of Health, Rosie Winterton, has used your phrase often when describing troubles with management of the NHS dental services.

EssexGurl

Don't get me started about dentists. Evil or Very Mad

amenity

Essex Gurl,
I do hope you were not one of those that were evicted from dentists lists when they went private?
That really was a disgrace.

EssexGurl

I have a long ongoing tale of woe where dentists are concerned

amenity

Did you hear the news today?

The government is to introduce an investigation into the possibility of screening people that drink, smoke or eat to excess and thereby bar them from help under the NHS.

Clearly it would be helpful if these excesses were curtailed but, surely the pedlars of drugs, hormones and lifestyle are in a great measure responsible?

What measures would constrain them?

The profit making aspect of civilisation.

The sell off of the NHS will be succsessful if the loss making bits are hived of first.

Just as in the temple, profit is all (I am not religous) but...

EssexGurl

So if they decide they arent going to treat people that are smokers, drinkers and overweight can we assume that these people wont have to pay anything towards the NHS??

I thought not.....

Just another way of spending more money on something that wont happen cos at the end of it all they actually do need the votes of the overweight, drinkers and smokers.

Seriously what idiot thinks up these plans.

amenity

Government is proving, idiots abound.

Interestingly this announcement was made on a day it could be buried, so I guess it could be for real.

amenity

I listened to the 8am news again and the name of the think tank that will consider questions of anti social behavior, and health issues is,

'Deliberative Forums'

1984

Karl Duguid

amenity

Karl Duguid

amenity

EssexGurl

amenity

I'm with you Essex Gurl on this one, especially when it is solely announced over the radio.

Also sometimes BBC World radio seems to have a different agenda to our own watered down version.

Looks like editors think they know what is good for us, of course they assure the public they act independently of anybody.

But as we have seen when somebody in charge of media steps out of line, criticizes politicians etc they don't last long.

EssexGurl

Well I read the bit in the paper about the mess made by the oncall docs and the signing of the wrong forms that I mention a good few posts up.

I thought it was a well written piece - thank you whoever wrote it.

amenity

Yes, I found that encouraging too. The reporting I mean.

EssexGurl

Blimey if we keep on being this nice about reports in the paper we are gonna scare John Laughing

Karl Duguid

amenity

It would be an interesting job to find out if such action, as has been taken by the trust, has been predicted by those who urged caution about recent changes to our NHS hospital.
What also was the doctors view at the time these changes were being mooted, what was the public told at the consultaion stage and what were staff told?
How did the trust get these moves through, was any sleight of hand used?

I'm not saying it was but lets find out?

EssexGurl

EssexGurl

ferret

Not allowed apparently. It has been tried, but it is no longer our hospital is it?

Lin

That is such a shame .
Forgive me for poking my nose in (I come from Clacton)but wouldn't a collage of all sorts of people who make Harwich what it is be appropriate.

You could have all sorts of folk ,from all walks of life:
Fishermen ,lifeboatmen ,shopkeepers (past and present) roadsweepers ,ect ,in fact everyone ,prominent and not so prominent that have made Harwich such a great little town .
It would provide a much needed diversion ,spotting who is who whilst waiting.
Or are the powers that be that bad ?.

EssexGurl

EssexGurl

Lin

Thanks Essex Girl Smile

Remember that song Val Doonegan sung(cor ,now I'm showing my age) .....Little Boxes. Laughing

Little boxes ,little boxes and they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

amenity

EssexGurl

No they saw to that.

I have heard various rumours about why that land hasnt been developed yet. One of them is that they have to wait for 5 yrs till they can build there. The other is that someone has realised that the land actually does belong to the people of the town so they cant develop on it. Does anyone have any ideas what the truth actually is?

Also anyone have any idea about whats happening with the docs. We were told they were definitely moving last yr - perhaps John knows something.

Karl Duguid

I'll put in the call today! Last I heard there was talking going on, but nothing settled.

Watch this space...

EssexGurl

Thanks John.

Another question, off topic but better than starting a new thread you might miss.

I have noticed recently that in the standard there has been quite a few things from Bernard Jenkins. Why? He isnt out MP yet and lets face it we dont know whats round the corner so he might not become it. There was a bit asking different people about stuff and it looked like he got the most space. I know he might have just given longer answers but it really looks like he is getting publicity ready for the next general election. I thought electionaring (or however you spell it) had to be proportional. If someone else says they are going to stand for the seat will they then get the same amount of space in the paper?

amenity

John,
Would it be a good idea to advise readers that the government is about to upload their medical record to the NHS "Spine"?

Furthermore could you advise them they have the right to opt out?

See link
http://www.TheBigOptOut.org/?page_id=9

frankie

EssexGurl

Frankie I have sent you a pm.

frankie

EssexGurl

I am having problems sending them - just tried again.

I am going to put my email addy in my profile

frankie

EssexGurl

I dont know whats going on but I havent got it yet - I did a test from my main email addy to the one I use for here and that got through ok. I also sent myself a mail from here and I havent got that yet. I wonder if there is a problem with the board, might explain my problems with pm's.

frankie

EssexGurl

Thanks for the pm......havent got the email yet - odd......must be taking the scenic route. Laughing

amenity

At the top of this thread the site owners/management have put a notice of works to be undertaken on Saturday, maybe this is slugging the works.

EssexGurl

Ah that might well be the problem then. Must be the week for forum work, this is the 2nd forum thats gone all wonky whilst I have been using it. The other one did have a sign I noticed saying that they were doing something. Unless of course I am breaking the forums all on my own lol.

Karl Duguid

EssexGurl

Thanks John - that clears it up for me. I did know that there were differences in the paper for Harwich and Manningtree. I once brought the Harwich and Manningtree standard and hubby Manningtree and Harwich - took us a good few minutes to figure it out. We know how to have fun in our house Laughing

ferret

most older local residents can remember a pond once existed where the new hospital now is. According to a resident from Grange Road water is now behind their homes that back onto the grounds behind the hospital.

amenity

ferret,
How do you mean behind their homes? In their gardens, was it not there before?

ferret

I will phone the person who told me to find out more details, but no apparently it was not there before the new hospital was built Amenity

amenity

The owners of the building should answer under the freedom of Information Act whether they carried out a survey to reveal water table problems and ask that they show you correspondence between themselves and surveyor.

Responsibilty must rest with the owners of the new building.

ferret

There has always been a pond on the land behind Grange Road. However when the new hospital was built water came up in the gardens of the flats that back onto the hospital land.
The planning officer knows about this and it has been rectified. Who paid for it to be rectified I do not know but seems the building of the hospital stopped the water draining away.

amenity

I posted this on DC's site first.

I was unsure where to post this, could have gone under TDC or something like that.
Only yesterday it came to light that an administrator (ward nurse and 205)at a large hospital was a former mayor of the local town (not local here) and had remained a councillor.

So far so good but staff confided that he spends 50% of his time doing council duties away from the hospital.

This raises questions, isn't the hospital patient at risk? From what staff said it may be so.

Is this practise widespread?

If widespread does it not imply that cllrs are actually paid above the public understanding of £4K or thereabouts?

amenity

Just a rumour but someone said they have had to pump out the flooded lift shaft at the new Harwich hospital 19 times since it was built.

ferret

I think this is more than a rumour. The lift shaft has been under as much as 3 feet of water. The lift makers are "Kone" who have been called out 19 times for maintenance in 2 months. The maintenace will be free for 2 years but who pays after that? Another heavy rain fall predicted tomorrow.
A hospital without a lift is not much use.

amenity

This condition of the structure must render the hospital, at least in part as "not fit for purpose".

The Trust must have recourse against the builder/designer of the hospital.

Ratepayers and taxpayers ought to reflect on this when the Trust attempt to pay for repairs after warrenty runs out.

ferret

The council have all received a memo about the private meeting with Paul Zollinger Read of the PCT on 30th March. Paul wants to know in advance what questions they will be asking him. Some of the councillors have lists of questions from members of the public. Naturally he will choose what he can easily answer.

ferret

The Standard knew about the lift flooding 2 weeks ago but so far have failed to report it. Who is blocking this information from being printd ? Could it be the Labour hierarchy?

ivan burit · State of the Art, or state of the Arts....

Yesterday, i joined early rush hour Monday morning madness on the A12 heading London bound...OK, it was all going fairly smoothly, but first stop was the New Hospital in Romford, The QUEENS.....WOWEEEE, was it an art gallery, a theater, a shopping centre..... When you walk in the main entrance hall, on the right you have a food hall, on the left you have a coffee shop, straight on you have the reception area, complete with a GRAND PIANO...you got-to believe it... No straight lines, all curves, marvelous place....Did have to wait 1/2 an hour for a blood test, but hay, its an eye opener.........The rest of the day was spent going to London, by St.Paul's Cathedral, into St.Bart's Hospital, one of the best in the world, but only getting a "short cut" rebuilding program that was cut down to suit the "books"...but i still am glad we still got it anyway....thanks........from your roving seaside reporter, with ever big eyes.....

EssexGurl

amenity

EssexGurl

Well lets hope not.

I get the feeling we are going to have to put some pressure on the papers to try and get them to print this story. I'm sure they'll try and use the excuse that its political and before the elections they wont want to get invovled.......but as Ivan isnt standing in either the town or district elections that's a very very poor arguement

amenity

There is one person who I would like to answer a few questions about his relationship with Ivan H and that is George Courtauld. Come on GC how do you square this latest behavoural problem of IH?

I would be suprised if George actually answers this but for the good of his family name he should in some way distance himself from IH's antics.

amenity

Saw the headlines on the news satnd hospital not fit for purpose.

EssexGurl

Well of course the developers are saying its not true....but they would of course wouldnt they.

amenity

Theres a rumour going around that our white elephant (hospital) is to close while the floors are ripped up and repaired, if this is true are the builders going to compensate for loss of use?

The New Harwich Hospital

State of the Art, or state of the Arts....