Emergency patients taken to ‘overstretched’ hospitals But the trust spokesman said:


Continued from page one


is claimed that ambulance crews say they are under clinical in- structions from the trust to take minor injury cases to Pembury as well as children who should be taken to the new child day clinic at Maidstone. Staff at Maidstone talk of a ‘much quieter hospital’ since Pembury opened in late Septem- ber.Atrust spokesman said there were “eight fewer patients a day being seen at Maidstone A&E than over the same days of the week the year before”. Despite trust assurances that Pembury is coping, there have been patient and public com- plaints about long delays, inade- quate attention, lack of surgical beds and confusion finding ways


around. An elderly Alzheimer patient


was allegedly left in pain on a trolley for six hours with a bro- ken leg. A Maidstone woman said she waited hours for a booked wrist operation – but was sent home because a bed could not be found for her. Patients were reportedly being left on trolleys overnight due to a bed shortage. It is thought this has been caused by the trust taking a financial decision to reserve a surgical ward of 30 beds for pri- vate patients only. These issues are being ad- dressed by Maidstone branch of the BMA, Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital (MASH) plus MP Helen Grant. A spokesman for MASH said:


Wellbeing goes online A MENTAL health website has been launched to promote positive messages about mental health. The Live ItWell site – www.liveitwell. org.uk – brings together practical informa- tion to help people stay well and get the right support if they need it. It is a collaboration between a voluntary organisation, local authorities and the pri- mary care trusts in Kent andMedway and focuses on activities that promote emo- tional health and wellbeing for all, as well as support services for people with mental health needs. The site was launched in County Hall, Maidstone, to coincide withWorld Mental Health Day. The Live ItWell strategy, de- veloped with local people and health and social care professionals, sets out 10 com- mitments for improving mental health lo- cally, along with priorities for action. Lauretta Kavanagh, director of mental health commissioning for NHS Kent and Medway, said: “This website makes it much easier for people to find local infor- mation, and is also a real example of dif- ferent organisations working together to improve mental health and wellbeing in Kent andMedway.” People can search by postcode for differ-


ent services, such as community mental health teams, resource centres, supported housing and volunteering opportunities. There is the opportunity to contribute di- rectly to local pages about mental health and to find out how to connect with other people in your area. Mrs Kavanagh added: “It also has ideas


for putting the five ways to wellbeing into action locally – identified by national re- search – to help us cope better and reduce our risk of anxiety and depression. They can also help us to get more out of life even when everything is going well.


DOING away with gel dispensers at the en- trances to Maidstone Hospital has angered a woman whose mother died during the C.difficile outbreak there five years ago. “When I read about it in the Downs Mail


it made me see red again,” said Jackie Stew- art, of Plantation Lane, Bearsted. Mary Hirst (83), who lived nearby at Cross


Keys,was one of the first to fall victim to the deadly bug in May 2006. Eventually, it led to 90 deaths across the NHS trust area. Introducing more gel dispensers was one of the actions that followed.


“There seems confusion among ambulance crews following transfer of some Maidstone serv- ices to Pembury. We know seri- ous trauma cases now go to Pembury, but we were told that apart from those few cases, Maid- stone A&E would continue to be fully operational. “But it is looking more like a broken promise by the trust with amajor extension beyond serious trauma cases ordered to Pembury or Medway. This causes very deep concern forMaidstone, and looks a way of trying to run down both Maidstone A&E and the new day centre for children. This would be totally unaccept- able to the 250,000 population of Maidstone area – and the trust is very aware of that.”


“We are working closely with the ambulance service to ensure every patient who can go to Maidstone, does go to Maid- stone. “The media can also help by letting the public know that while major trauma patients are taken by ambulance to our new centre of expertise, Maidstone A&E is very much open and con- tinues to see over a thousand pa- tients a week.” He said that during the week


(26th September) directly fol- lowing themove of trauma serv- ices to Pembury, Maidstone A&E saw 1,170 patients, compared to 1,229 over the same week the previous year (a difference of 59 patients or 8 patients a day).


Fears over hospitals’ private beds plans


CONCERNS continue to grow about a deci- sion by Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust to build up private patient business in both Maidstone and Pembury hospitals. The trust has set up a separate operation –


MTW Healthcare – to compete with private hospitals in this lucrative market. But health cam- paigners, GPs and some consultants are worried about the im- pact on the 500,000 NHS patients in the trust’s area. The early signs are


bad, with NHS pa- tients complaining of confusion and serious delays due to a short- age of surgical beds at Pembury now the trust has set aside 26 single rooms just for private patients with integral consulting rooms in the new Wells Suite. A similar private


MTW chief operating officer Nikki Luffin- gham said: “There was an inevitable and entirely predicted reduction in activity in our hospitals during the period of the move into the new TunbridgeWells Hospi- tals. There have been no cancelations of any operations due to a shortage of beds at TWH since it opened. “It had nothing whatsoever to do with


the opening of theWells Suite private pa- tient unit, which will generate extra money to improve services for NHS pa- tients.We anticipate a profit of £1 million in the first year which will be ploughed back into NHS services. “We are now working hard to make up


the ground that we lost during the move, including putting on extra operating the- atre lists.”


suite is planned for Maidstone Hospital, which recently lost core services such as women’s and children’s, trauma and or- thopaedic surgery to Pembury, after massive local protest. The trust says it wants to capture one-third


of the local private healthcare market. It ex- pects a net profit of £1m in year one and sees the initiative “injecting millions of pounds into frontline NHS services”. It claims more than 60 consultants have


“I thought straight away, as a person who fought for all this more than five years ago, are they just slipping back?” Mrs Stewart said: “If you see a dispenser


when you walk through the doors of the hospital the chances are you are going to use it. I know a lot won’t, but 90% will. “But by the time you have wandered to


the ward, had a cup of tea, been to the loo, howmany peoplewill use it? You could to- tally forget. And howmany things have you touched by then?” Dr Sara Mumford, director of infection


moved all or part of their private business to the new organisation. The initiative causes serious concerns for campaign groupMASH(Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital). Chairman Dennis Fowle said: ”Use of NHS facilities for private patients is driven totally by the serious finan- cial problems of a trustinamessand due to the enormous costs of financing the new PFI hospital. “We keep getting serious patient com- plaints about the new hospital, the worst being about long de- lays and confusion and a lack of surgical beds. This would not have happened if the trust had stuck to its original plan instead of setting up this pri- vate business. “We always claim- ed the transfer of serv-


ices from Maidstone to Pembury was largely driven by Tunbridge Wells consultants with private practice interests – here’s the proof.” Maidstone GP Dr Paul Hobday, past chair-


man of the local BMA, said: “GPs are very alarmed at effects on our NHS patients, fur- ther squeezed by those who can afford to pay and queue jump. “Thiswill also impact on use of theatre and hospital staff’s time and contact with consult- ants’ secretaries.”


Bug boss defends removal of gel dispensers from hospital entrances


prevention and control, said: “I am sorry Mrs Stewart is unhappy about the gel dis- pensers being removed from the entrances. “Our decision was based on the World Health Organisation advice that the best way to protect patients is to emphasise the importance of hand hygiene at the patient’s bedside, and that the gel dispensers at the entrances could even be a distraction from that.


“All our ward staff are trained to remind visitors never to touch patients without cleaning their hands first.”


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk Malling 25


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