Report on the Sustainability & Transformation Partnership consultation – 8th February

From the Save Southend NHS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS//

#SaveSouthendNHS have been emailed this by a member of the public who was not allowed entry to the STP discussion event on Thursday 8th February.

We are posting this word for word.

I went along to Cliffs Pavilion on Thursday to attend the consultation meeting regarding plans for local hospitals I knew tickets had all been allocated for the evening but as they were free I knew from experience that not everyone would turn up so went along bearing in mind originally they said turn up on night. I arrived at venue where there was police presence and four bouncers! There was only about 4 or 5 people waiting outside doors to get in when I got there and was told there was no room. When I looked through I could see a few people standing and room behind them I mentioned this to one of the security guys and said as there were only 4 of us could they let us in as I was happy to stand He replied we were not allowed to stand. When I questioned the fact that there were people standing he said they were speakers and public were not allowed to stand I have been to music events there where the room is rammed and everyone stands. Bearing in mind the organisers knew this event was oversubscribed I question why they didn’t change the layout of room and not had the round tables I learnt later from friends that there were even a couple of spare seats.

Yet another demonstration of how badly run the whole public consultation has been.

You can sign our petition here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-mid-south-essex-stp-downgrading-southend-hospital

The South Essex Stirrer - Archive

From the Save Southend NHS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS/

The Mid & South Essex Sustainability & Transformation Partnership (STP) refused to change to a larger venue or rearrange seating to accommodate more people at the original venue, Maritime Rooms at the Cliffs Pavilions, in spite of tickets to last night’s consultation event ‘selling out’ two weeks ago. Instead they decided to employ a firm of security guards to prevent entry of many non-ticket holders to the event, originally billed as ‘just turn up’.

#SaveSouthendNHS had a presence of thirty or so supporters outside the venue to distribute leaflets illustrating the real effects the STP is likely to have on local NHS services, and talk to attendees as they arrived.

Around 200 people were admitted to the 300 capacity venue to hear the standard spiel touted by the STP and its advocates. Their basic line is that with an ageing population and…

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Why the STP will not work

The South Essex Stirrer - Archive

This is from the Save Southend NHS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS/

Long and detailed post. You need to read it and understand just WHY #SaveSouthendNHS so strongly object to The Mid and South Essex STP. Their principles ‘claim’ to be bringing much of your care ‘closer to home’ however, the whole disgraceful and dangerous plan is financially motivated to ensure they have saved in excess of £400 million by 2021 from the now (conveniently) merged Southend, Broomfield and Basildon Hospitals.

The principles contained in their public consultation are flawed at almost every level and will enforce a postcode lottery for care on the 1.5 million people the combined hospitals serve. Critically ill patients will face longer journeys to obtain so called ‘specialist’ care – care that mostly is currently available at your LOCAL hospital but will be centralised and re-branded as ‘specialist’ – just now further away – if you survive…

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Gagged by the Rotten Borough

THis Is North Kensington

Yesterday there was a full council meeting in which members of the public were invited to speak. One resident who lives around the corner from Grenfell Tower  was banned from speaking at this by one of their “enforcers” because they had previously spoken.

They did allow one person (who spoke well and had also contributed on a previous occasion) to speak, but in not allowing others to talk ; they show themselves up for being a selective bunch who prefer the sound of their own voices.

What about the rights of some to tell them about their situations and when the situations change? We know that some of those in charge when sent emails and letters are completely unresponsive.

This is particularly disrespectful to those affected by Grenfell, but also a slap in the face to residents in general. The council  have also allowed  some other residents who have spoken…

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The impact of ‘rationalisation’

The South Essex Stirrer - Archive

This is from the Save Southend NHS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS/

The Mid and South Essex STP continue their agenda to transfer as much as possible away from #SouthendHospital in their stealth attempt to downgrade our GENERAL HOSPITAL. Now the Microbiology department is going to Basildon!! The contract changed from being NHS run and was awarded to the company ‘Pathology First’ in 2014, demonstrating another example of privatisation and now the centralisation of yet another service to cut costs at the expense of patients. The latest cock up is cancer tests for residents in our area!! (see link to Telegraph article at bottom)

There are a number of issues with moving the service to Basildon our trusted sources state:

1) Risks to patients as increased turn-around time for specimens due to transport from Southend to Basildon
2) Staff shortages because they find it hard to recruit, so current depleted staffing coping…

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Reflections on the Save Southend NHS march and rally

Good to meet up with the South Essex crew and visit the Railway at last!

The South Essex Stirrer - Archive

On Saturday 27th January, over 1000 people marched through the centre of Southend to protest against the ‘Sustainabilty & Transformation Partnership’ (STP a.k.a. Slash, Trash & Privatise) plans for ‘rationalising’ services between Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals. It was also in protest at the merger of the three hospitals which was sprung upon everybody during the STP ‘consultation’ process. The protest was called by Save Southend NHS – https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS/ Check out their Facebook page for frequent, accurate and to the point updates and bulletins about the campaign and the implications of the STP.

The aim of the protest was to draw the attention of the wider public in Southend to the threats posed to NHS services by the STP plans. Threats which if not challenged, will lead to a two tier service with those that can pay getting a better standard of treatment followed by eventual privatisation and the loss…

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Save Southend NHS march and rally – it’s happening this weekend!

The South Essex Stirrer - Archive

We’ve put up a fair few posts sourced from the Save Southend NHS Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS/ – which detail the threats posed to NHS services in the region. If people don’t unite to fight against these threats, cuts in the name of ‘rationalisation’ are inevitable. What will also be inevitable will be the acceleration of the privatisation of the NHS and the beginning of the end of free at the point of use health care.

The march and rally on Saturday has two aims – to make the public aware of the extent of the threats posed to the NHS services we rely on and to build a campaign that will stop those threats. If you’re an activist anywhere in south east / mid Essex, you need to be on this march and rally offering your solidarity. If you’re a member of the public who’s concerned about the future…

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Fixture clash on Saturday 27th

Service reconfigurations = CUTS!

We urge everyone who can to support this action. Put it this way, if you’re ever in Southend and have an accident / get taken ill, it would be nice to know there are functioning medical facilities within bleeding distance.

The South Essex Stirrer - Archive

This is from the Save Southend NHS Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS/

STP PLANNED SERVICE RECONFIGURATIONS!!!!! READ AND SHARE!

Dear supporters. Southend currently has a GENERAL HOSPITAL but under the proposals by the Mid and South Essex STP, not for much longer – here is the list of all the service relocations. In case they wish to argue, these are from their web site (which is exceedingly hard to navigate – even for us) http://www.nhsmidandsouthessex.co.uk/current-proposals/proposals-for-hospital-services/

Patients in need of emergency general surgery that require a hospital stay to be at BROOMFIELD Hospital.

Gastroenterology services for people with complex gut and liver problems requiring a hospital stay to be at BROOMFIELD Hospital.

Patients requiring a hospital stay for complex lung problems to be located at BASILDON Hospital.

Patients with complex kidney problems who need a hospital stay to be located at BASILDON Hospital.

Patients diagnosed with acute stroke would be transferred to…

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No Merger!

We’ll continue to share reports on this campaign, as far as we’re concerned it’s the same fight.

Our experience has been that these public consultations are a smokescreen, designed to actually reduce public engagement and bore campaigners into submission. The decisions are taken elsewhere.

Only massive, spontaneous and potentially unruly public pressure stands a chance of reversing these cuts.

Medical staff, support staff, patients groups and community activists must work together without favouritism. If they win, we all lose.

The South Essex Stirrer - Archive

From the Save Southend NHS Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS/

Members of Save Southend NHS, Save Our NHS Basildon, and Defend Our NHS Chelmsford joined forces, with just hours notice, to protest outside Broomfield Hospital this lunchtime prior to the meeting of the hospitals’ Joint Working Board who were considering the plan to merge all three hospitals.

We find it incredible, that mid way through a public consultation on the STP plans on how the three hospitals can work better together, that out of the blue and with no warning, this merger has been announced.

The STP and NHS England have kept these plans hidden from us and it makes a complete mockery of the consultation.

This merger could sound the death knell for local hospital services. The documents also talks about creating an Accountable Care Organisation (ACO) in tandem with the merger which is often seen as the precursor to…

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Mergers and cuts…

A familiar story, suggest respond by merging the workforce (with or without the unions), the patients’ groups, and the anti-cuts activists on all three sites, for collective action.

Above all, refuse to bargain for services against other communities.

The South Essex Stirrer - Archive

This is from the Save Southend NHS Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SaveSouthendNHS/

BREAKING NEWS ++STOP PRESS++ READ AND SHARE!

Plans are being considered to merge Southend, Basildon and Brookfield Hospitals in a bid to save money. SEE ARTICLE BELOW!

Huge implications for Southend and the staff at all three Trusts. Could this lead to the downgrade of our A&E that we all fought so hard to stop last year? The merger will make it far easier to reduce services available at each individual site and centralise care – further away from resident’s homes. This is another blow to the populations of Mid and South Essex and especially Southend on sea locality who are set to lose the greatest amount of acute hospital services under the STP. Staff will be shunted all over to accommodate the restructure of acute services at different sites – many experienced staff will leave, paving the way…

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