A&E patients are not as stupid as NHS commissioners think.
A review carried out by the College of Emergency Medicine has found that only 15% of over 3,000 patients who attended 12 A&E departments over a 24 hour period could have been treated in the community.
This gives the lie to NHS Commissioners’ view that people attending A&E unnecessarily are putting A&E departments under so much pressure that they often can’t see patients within four hours of admittance. Continue reading
Non-party political Save Our A&Es campaigners, including Calderdale NHS 38 Degrees, will have a stand and a float at Halifax Gala on 14th June. The aim is to call for everyone to protect our A&Es and NHS against the proposed shakeup to Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield NHS. This includes the proposed downgrade of Calderdale A&E to a minor injuries unit and sending all acute and emergency services to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.
The campaigners need face painters – no experience required, we might just stick with the clown theme for that – musicians and other volunteers. Please get in touch with Gary Scott on facebook or email him at garyscotthx1@gmx.co.uk Continue reading
Christine Hyde, a member of Dewsbury Keep Our NHS Public, has created a petition calling on David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt to “Keep NHS Health Service Provision Fully Exempt from the EU/US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement, currently under negotiation.”
If TTIP goes ahead, it will give powers to multinational corporations to demand access to ALL public service contracts, as of right, and will extend their powers to sue governments if they don’t get what they want.
However, since creating the petition, Christine has found that the available exemption under the trade rules that govern the TTIP does not cover the NHS. Continue reading
On 22nd May, the Local Medical Committees (LMC) Conference in York will debate a motion that calls for discussions with the UK government about introducing charges for GP services in England and Wales. Local Medical Committees are independent bodies that represent GPs.
Downloadable letter to Calderdale GPs: make sure the NHS stays free at the point of need Continue reading
Craig Whittaker MP recently submitted written questions about breaches in abortion law to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State’s answers make it clear that the Calder Valley MP is barking up the wrong tree.
All the answers show that doctors who terminate pregnancies are totally legit; and that two doctors must certify that, in their opinion, which must be formed in good faith, a request for an abortion meets at least one (and the same) of the grounds laid out in the Abortion Act 1967. Continue reading
Thanks to Ryburn 3 Step’s benefit gig at Sowerby Bridge Working Men’s Club on Friday 9th May, Calderdale 38 Degrees NHS put the fun into fundraising to support their campaign to Save Calderdale and Huddersfield A&Es. Continue reading
Most of the news about the proposed NHS changes in Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield has focussed on proposals to close and reduce acute and emergency hospital services, and replace them with cheaper integrated health and social care in the community.
Little public or media attention has been given to proposed changes to mental health services, even though the mental health trust, South West Yorkshire Foundation Partnership Trust (SWYFPT), is one of the three NHS providers that are involved in the proposed NHS and social care reconfiguration, known as “Right Care Right Time Right Place”.
SWYFPT’s website gives the impression that SWYFPT’s transformation plans are already well underway, and says they are in line with the Strategic Review/ Strategic Outline Case (SOC) proposals for the Right Care Right Time Right Place reconfiguration. Continue reading
Thanks to Plain Speaker readers who busied themselves with finding out about why Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) took over 7 hours to pick up an elderly patient from her care home, where she was coughing up or vomiting dried blood.
When the ambulance finally turned up, an ambulance crew member told the patient’s grand daughter that the reason her nan waited over 7 hours for an ambulance to pick her up from her care home was because YAS no longer responds to Code 4 calls. Continue reading
On Monday 28th April, Calderdale Council Cabinet authorised the Chief Executive, in consultation with Party Leaders, to finalise the terms of reference for a People’s Commission on Health and Social Care, arrange for the Commission Panel to be established and arrange for the initial call for evidence.
The only thing is, what the Cabinet has set in motion doesn’t seem much like a People’s Commission.
A People’s Commission is a way for civil society to highlight unresolved violations of law, in a public hearing of evidence and testimony from anyone who’s affected. Continue reading