Topic ID 2470
Not sure if this has been posted on "Discover Hertford" yet, but there is a campaign to save the QEII hospital. Please sign up using the following link and send to as many people who live locally as you can. This may be the only way we can stop the hospital closing. Not sure if it's going to do any good, but surely it's worth a try?[:(][:(][:(] http://www.hospitalsos.com/
Reply ID 35126
Im going to send this to as many people as I know.....over 200 people at where I work anyway :)
Reply ID 35147
Unfortunately my Family have visited far too often. The staff are great. The facilities are there. Pretty central just need a multi-story carpark. Yep, sending the link.
Reply ID 35151
The staff are fantastic but would be the first to point out that the QEII building has had it. I'm sorry, I'd prefer to have decent services consolidated into one well-resourced site that attracts the best staff, rather than pouring money away running identical services in two acute centres just 2 motorway junctions apart. And Princess Alexandra Harlow is just 10 minutes away from the Ware end of Hertford. There are so many other local NHS service issues that really need addressing - like the fact that many cancer services for Hertford residents are provided in Mount Vernon! I don't even know where that is, never mind how you'd get there by public transport! If by stopping the doubling-up of departments across QEII and Lister we could afford to get more cancer services into Lister, that would be a big improvement.
Reply ID 35159
quote:Rachel, as a member of staff at QEII, I totally agree that the facilities are inadequate. However, a new hospital is totally off the agenda, and the plan now is to pretty much shut either the QEII or the Lister. Politics being what they are, it is the QEII that is going to be shut (Conservative area, rather than the Lister's Labour). This to me is wrong. Healthcare is not about politics. And with the governments plans to build 1000's of new houses in the area, we really can't afford for this to happen. For those of you who've never been there, the Lister is actually nearer Hitchin than Stevenage. Imagine "dashing" there in an emergency.[:(!]
Originally posted by Rachel
The staff are fantastic but would be the first to point out that the QEII building has had it. I'm sorry, I'd prefer to have decent services consolidated into one well-resourced site that attracts the best staff, rather than pouring money away running identical services in two acute centres just 2 motorway junctions apart. And Princess Alexandra Harlow is just 10 minutes away from the Ware end of Hertford. There are so many other local NHS service issues that really need addressing - like the fact that many cancer services for Hertford residents are provided in Mount Vernon! I don't even know where that is, never mind how you'd get there by public transport! If by stopping the doubling-up of departments across QEII and Lister we could afford to get more cancer services into Lister, that would be a big improvement.
Reply ID 35164
No - I can't imagine the great dash. If all services from Lister and QE11 were pooled then we would have a great Hospital. (QE) None are perfect due to lack of funding, overworked and underpayed staff (no, I do not work for the NHS but do admire those that do).
Reply ID 36668
It's just been revealed that one of the wards at the QEII (Cuffley) is to be closed, subject to consultation, within two months. This particular ward was only reconfigured 5 months ago and no mention of the closure was made by the hospital's management when they briefed the local MP last week. [url="http://www.whtimes.co.uk/content/whtimes/news/story.aspx?brand=WHTOnline&category=News&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newswhtnew&itemid=WEED06%20Mar%202007%2015%3A05%3A38%3A260"] Ward to close at QE2[/url]
Reply ID 36673
What an absolute disgrace. Cue the demise of QEII. Another excuse to build more houses. And yet another excuse to have a general election this summer and boot these idiots out of politics forever.
Reply ID 36683
quote:But imagine the hoo-har if hospital managers had briefed the MP and he'd trotted off to the press to make political capital out of it before the staff knew. The consultation the change is subject to is internal only. Funny, I'm sure I remember a government promise that all big service changes would be subject to public consultation. I suppose if changes are made one ward at a time, they don't have to go to public consultation. Not that the consultations mean much - after all, we all were consulted and agreed on the Hatfield superhospital and that ain't gonna happen. [V]
Originally posted by Steve
no mention of the closure was made by the hospital's management when they briefed the local MP last week.
Reply ID 36685
quote:Thats a shame Cuffley ward is closing. They where fantastic when i had my gallbladder taken out in 2005.
Originally posted by Steve
It's just been revealed that one of the wards at the QEII (Cuffley) is to be closed, subject to consultation, within two months. This particular ward was only reconfigured 5 months ago and no mention of the closure was made by the hospital's management when they briefed the local MP last week. [url="http://www.whtimes.co.uk/content/whtimes/news/story.aspx?brand=WHTOnline&category=News&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newswhtnew&itemid=WEED06%20Mar%202007%2015%3A05%3A38%3A260"] Ward to close at QE2[/url]
Reply ID 36694
We all agreed on the Hatfield superhospital? I don't think so. I don't know of anybody that would be happy to see QE11 or Lister close. My eldest child has a very nasty habit of turning blue. Hertford to QE11 takes about 10 minutes they stabilise him for 24 hours and then take him to Lister, as the childrens ward has been shut for years. Hertford to Lister takes about 25 minutes. Hertford to Hemel Hempstead hospital took 45 mins. A superhospital wouldn't be more convienent and wouldn't mean better care. We need QE11 and Lister we've all ready lost the county hospital.
Reply ID 36696
the big "decision" about which hospital is to close hasn't officially been made yet, which is why Cuffley shutting down is so wrong. Word on the street is that the decision has been made, but lawyers are consulting on matters before the announcement is made. however, the goings on on Cuffley ward say it all. The consultation is in theory a public consultation, but we know how much sway the public are going to have. It's a sad state of affairs.
Reply ID 36697
Cuffley isn't the first ward to close at QE11 and I doubt it will be the last. Lister has some closed wards too, or at least they did have last summer. Sadly it's the same all over the NHS and unless that get more money it won't improve.
Reply ID 36701
The time is up for the Irrational Health Service - we should all go private. A couple of years ago I had a new arse fitted (seriously) and Norwich Union met the bill. My recuperation was spent at the Rivers in Sawbridgeworth and it was marvellous. Satellite telly and a menu. I had steak and chips and a bottle of red wine for most meals. I left with a shiny new arse and hardening of the arteries.
Reply ID 36703
So private health care for all. What about the elderly and children?
Reply ID 36705
believe me, private care ain't all it's cracked up to be. having worked in both private and NHS, at least most staff in the NHS care and are allowed to care, unlike the private sector where I have literally heard people being disciplined for "caring too much about the patients". Money is what talks.
Reply ID 36707
quote:I couldn't agree more. I have also worked for both the private sector and the NHS. Give me NHS anytime, and give them more money and more staff.
Originally posted by Bengeobabe
believe me, private care ain't all it's cracked up to be. having worked in both private and NHS, at least most staff in the NHS care and are allowed to care, unlike the private sector where I have literally heard people being disciplined for "caring too much about the patients". Money is what talks.
Reply ID 36709
Simple! All this public policy initiative stuff is a smokescreen. The elderly can sell their house to buy bandages and drugs or they could stay healthy and cut out all the unpleasantness. Parents can join in by including the children in their medical insurance policies. If that doesn't work then then eventually the children will get old so they can sell their house.
Reply ID 36712
Sound like a plan to me. Do medical insurance companies cover the cost of prescriptions as well? My eldest has 11 prescriptions a month. If not does anyone want to buy a car?[:)] It is a sad state of affairs that our health service is in so much trouble. The closing of hospitals is becoming far to common, so lets fight to keep them open. I am truly grateful for the NHS, sometimes it feels like the only reason to stay in this country.
Reply ID 36724
I should probably allow my true constitution to bleed through here... We absolutely need to increase our spending on health and education by orders of magnitude. Society's all very nice but if you can't do those with appropriate reverance then we should all bugger off back to the caves & the trees. And how do we pay for all this? God knows - I'm just a punter. That said, I do see a huge amount of fluff surrounding the gluttonous party oriented democracy machine. Maybe it's time to accept that we've pushed the process of choosing administrative heads by feebly differentiated ideology and we should.... Aaah bugger it. I'm gonna shut up now.
Reply ID 36726
quote:The level of service you receive in a nash hospital is all to do with rescources. Even when allowing for adjusted inflation, the cost of the NHS in terms of expenditure is around £900/person in England, a grand/person in Wales, and over £1100/person in Scotland. There are 3 times as many Dr's now than there were in 1951, there are twice as many midwives and nurses, and the average stay in hospital has been reduced from 45 days in 1951 to 5 days now. Inflation is the NHS's biggest killer, despite all these advances. Inflation in the NHS has exceeded that in the general economy , and the nash needs more and more money each year to stand still. Wages account for 60% of your average PCT's costs. Increases in nurses wages have not been met by funding from the treasury, so there are cutbacks elsewhere. Then of course we have the problems of who to treat, how quickly and when. There is not a pit of money that has no end - the NHS is a finite thing. Rationing is needed, although most patients don’t understand this, as they are angry that they are being hit by the ****ty end of the stick despite them diligently paying their NI for years. There will always be debate and disagreement as to where the money should go , should it go towards to make people better , or to prevent them becoming sick in the first place? Do we need more doctors medicines, hospitals, or all three? should children have a greater degree of access to care and attention, and not have to wait as long as the elderly? The reason the NHS is rubbish at times, is because a decision had been made to take from Peter and give to Paul. The poor level of care one might received might have been because the cancer ward were utilising resources, it might be because the PCT has no money or has been sued by someone because of a negligent operation and the slush fund had taken a hit, or it may be that the PCT is just very poor. One thing is for certain - if you want a guaranteed level of care and access to healthcare resources, do not rely on the NHS..
Originally posted by Herbert Lemons
I should probably allow my true constitution to bleed through here... We absolutely need to increase our spending on health and education by orders of magnitude. Society's all very nice but if you can't do those with appropriate reverance then we should all bugger off back to the caves & the trees. And how do we pay for all this? God knows - I'm just a punter. That said, I do see a huge amount of fluff surrounding the gluttonous party oriented democracy machine. Maybe it's time to accept that we've pushed the process of choosing administrative heads by feebly differentiated ideology and we should.... Aaah bugger it. I'm gonna shut up now.
Reply ID 36757
quote:Having spent some time in various hospitals over the last two years or so, I found the best patient service in the private wing at QE2 run by NHS staff. Certainly better than BUPA Harpenden.
Originally posted by Witch of the northquote:I couldn't agree more. I have also worked for both the private sector and the NHS. Give me NHS anytime, and give them more money and more staff.
Originally posted by Bengeobabe
believe me, private care ain't all it's cracked up to be. having worked in both private and NHS, at least most staff in the NHS care and are allowed to care, unlike the private sector where I have literally heard people being disciplined for "caring too much about the patients". Money is what talks.