I have mentioned my gratitude to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn over the last couple of days.
Officially the hospital is on the CQC hit list for poor care. I will not explore details:,suffice to say if you want to fail something you always can.
What I have reflected on is the social impact of this hospital. It is not a specialist centre. It could fairly be described as remote and rural. Its hinterland is smaller than some hospitals despite that because some is in the North Sea. And so the wish to close the hospital will be running high amongst those with a wish to rationalise NHS services in the name of 'efficiency'.
But just think of the consequences. With 2,400 staff the hospital is the biggest employer in the town and region. The diversity of its staffing is vital for the community. It's presence reinforces the fact this is a community despite its remoteness when other agencies, like HMRC, want to pull out.
Downscaling this hospital would be a disaster, for those who work there, for those who use it, for those who live around here, and for the town. I expect the demand for that downscaling will arise in due course though. Hunt wants power to over-ride all such local considerations without consultation.
I am not interested in devolution of all power for its own sake. I do not think everything local is good. I believe in the integration of services, just as I believe in a mixed economy. But integrated services require local presence to be effective, most especially in a national health service. The paradox is national has to embrace local to work.
I am not the first person to realise the value of their local hospital, of course. And like many others I am willing to shout about it. But the fact is that the economic madness of a disintegrated NHS has led to questioning of the role of places like QEH, King's Lynn. It's that madness that needs treatment, not the hospital.
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While you’ve been in hospital the new Chief Exec of NHS England started work, Richard. It’ll be interesting to see how he deals with Hunt’s interventionist/interfering tendencies, which are, from what I read in Private Eye, fairly frequently deployed. Given his private sector background (albeit that he previously worked with Blair), he may have a lot less tolerance for such interference than many of the long-serving senior people in the NHS who recognise that like most public services, the NHS is by definition inherently political and thus can never escape political interference.
Hi Richard, I attended a policy roundtable of http://locality.org.uk/, North West region. In the afternoon we were introduced to Locality’s and Vanguard’s new report: http://locality.org.uk/our-work/policy/diseconomies-scale/. This report highlights how the Governments obsession with targets, is actually failing and wasting money and resources. It was time to move away from this broken model of ‘diseconomies of scale’, replacing it with ‘local by default’.
Meanwhile, the gov is now lending cash to developers to build for private rent:
http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2014/04/04/housing-association-signs-biggest-build-to-rent-deal/
You imply that CQC’s findings are based on something other than the merits of the case.
As a local authority officer, my work occasionally brings me into contact with CQC people. On the whole, decent people trying to do the best they can in what is an important but unappreciated and difficult role.
I don’t know your hospital, but from my experience, if it is on a hit list, things must be bad and they will have seen it coming, with plenty of warnings and chances to fix things.
Anyway, best wishes on your recovery.
Hello Richard,
sorry to hear you’ve been hospitalised, but the problems are not to serious. A speedy recovery, and take a well earned break.
On another level, I’m pleased in a way that you are experiencing a spell in the NHS hospital because it gives you a chance to see how things work at the coal face, being a patience on the receiving end ( I don’t mean that in a nasty way)
May I tell you a story of what happened to me recently. As a now ex-Jerseyman who has been adopted by France, I recently needed an operation for a mans complaint of my advancing years. It started out when I visited Jersey. I was expected to walk around
catheterised for 3 to 4 months waiting for an operation. I returned to France, and from seeing the local doctor, specialist, and having the necessary op took a total of 10 days. Unfortunately Jersey is suffering from a “not fit for service” syndrome in their health system.
Once again, best wishes for your “back to health” mode so the vital work you do can continue.
Regards, Mel Mignot
Neo-liberal culture which only has one agenda, everything for profit.
What worries me about the new chief exec of NHSEngland is that the hospital he was at is my local hospital, Shotley Bridge. It’s the one we go to because you can get parked there if you need to have tests etc., just like the King’s Lynn one.
Will it be next on the closure list?