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Passionate debate over care provision
LAST week's County Times reported the fact that I recently took part in BBC1's Question Time. I've appeared on it loads of times over the years, but it's still pretty scary!
It's recorded about an hour before it goes out; you turn up, have a drink and a sandwich, a bit of make-up to repair the ravages of time; and on you go.
You've tried to guess the questions, desperately hope Dimbleby doesn't come to you first for the 'funny' question before you've had time to think of a witty reply, squeeze as many claps from an often sceptical audience, and it's suddenly all over.
Then on the journey home you think of all the brilliant things you really wanted to say!
I can't remember a previous appearance generating as many letters and emails and I'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their kind words.
The debate was intense, particularly over the issue of waiting times for cancer patients.
Healthcare provision is obviously an issue that people, whether they're politicians or clinicians, patients or their friends and families feel incredibly passionate about.
On that note, I was completely flabbergasted to read another article in last week's County Times entitled, 'Complaints continue'. It was all about a recent North Horsham County Local Committee meeting which was addressed by Mary Sexton, director of nursing, quality and governance at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which manages East Surrey Hospital.
Reports indicate that during the meeting Mary Sexton concluded that, among other things, the Care Quality Commission's spot checks which revealed filthy wards, were conducted on a 'typical' day for the hospital and that the fact that the hospital was running at full capacity had an impact on 'the ability to clean the hospital appropriately'.
She went on to say that on the day of the meeting – Tuesday, a couple of weeks ago – the hospital was full.
So, from this, my conclusions are that East Surrey Hospital is operating at full-capacity and therefore, it will not be as clean as it should be – as patients need and deserve it to be.
If this is right, it is deeply shocking.
I've written to the trust management and also that of NHS West Sussex asking for their urgent comments on these admissions and I'll pass their responses on to the County Times.
Conclusions of a major feasibility study into the possibility of a new hospital for local NHS patients is due to report in the autumn – we'll keep pushing until stories of inaccessible, full and dirty hospitals are a thing of the past.
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Thunderstorm
Temperature: 14 C to 26 C
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