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News GPs look at health challenges By Dennis Fowle


THE health challenges facing the area have been highlighted by NHSWest Kent Clinical Commis- sioning Group (CCG) in its latest reports. The group, mostly GPs, who con-


trol most of the local NHS budget, has pinpointed:  Increasing needs of an ageing population.  Lack of integrated information systems.  Lack of integrated health and so- cial care teams in the community to


Poor rating


for trust food THE food served up to hospital pa- tients by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has been voted among the worst in the country. The results from 353 patients


who completed the Care Quality Commission survey between Sep- tember and January this year showed it as one of the few areas where the trust failed to improve. Other areas where patients said


there was room for improvement included the information theywere given in A&E, the availability of handwash gels and the number of nurses on duty, which all war- ranted a small dip in patient satis- faction. Pain control, post-operative ad-


vice and the use of understandable language in letters to patients also showed a slight slip in the rating given to the trust by the CQC. However, the trust did improve


in 44 areas on the previous year’s results, covering patient treatment, safety and privacy. The trust’s chief nurse, Avey Bhatia, said: “We are really pleased with the results of the latest inpatient survey, which show that the trust is continuing to build on the good work and im- provementswe made in 2012. “Our staff have worked really


hard over the past year, particularly around admissions and discharge planning and this has been re- flected in the survey’s positive pa- tient feedback.”


Concert donation


A CHEQUE for almost £3,000 was presented to Heart of Kent Hospice after a choir concert organised by the Maidstone Riverside Rotary Club. Caroline Brinkman, head of com-


munity engagement for the hospice, is pictured receiving a cheque from the concert organising committee after the 100 Voices Choir Concert at All Saints’ Church, Maidstone, which raised a total of £6,500.


The money gap


THE CCG says if changes are not made in the West Kent health services there will be a widening gap between income (currently about £482m) and a projected spend growing by 2018/19 to £545m.


support vulnerable patients in their usual place of residence.  Inability to move patients on to rehabilitation pathways.  Insufficient capacity outside of


acute hospitals, meaning patients stay in acute beds longer than nec- essary.  Insufficient elderly mental infirm placement beds.  Delivering 18-week referral to treatment commitment.  Delivering timely reports of di- agnostic investigations, though tests are achieved in target time.  Higher than desired number of patients admitted to acute hospi- tals for end-of-life care.  Gaps in expected levels of de- tected disease leading to health in- equalities.


 Opportunity for patients with long-term conditions to be more in- volved in their own condition man- agement and receive more care outside of hospitals.  Timely provision of equipment to keep patients at home.  Delivery of desired ambulance response times.  Recruitment to specific specialist roles.  Timely access to children and adolescent mental health services.  Timely availability to improving access to psychological therapies services.


Mixed report for patient satisfaction


OUT-of-hours services at Tun- bridgeWells Hospital in Pembury need improvement, says the Care Quality Commission. The inspection found that while standards of care, treatment and management were being met, when it came to standards of staffing and caring for patients safely, more needed to be done. Inspectors studied A&E, surgical assessment unit, medical assess- ment unit, intensive care, theatres and wards.


The report noted patients were pleased with the treatment and care they received and how nurs- ing staff were keen to protect pa- tients’ dignity. The report said: “We heard that patients had been shown how to operate their beds and the call bells on admission to the ward. A rela- tive told us that staff had been ‘very good to Mum’and that when she was in severe pain, staff re- sponded straight away with anal- gesia.”


However, while appropriate arrangements were in place to en- sure medicines were available, in- spectors said they were not stored or managed safely. Their report continued: “We


found that staff were supported and that the trust monitored the quality of care that patients re- ceived. “However, we found that there


were not enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet peo- ple’s needs.”


Quality mark


for hospital MAIDSTONE Hospital’s en- doscopy unit has earned national accreditation. The JAG (Joint Advisory Group


on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) quality mark recognises high stan- dards of patient care, safety and professionalism. Maidstone Hospital redeveloped


Jackie pitches in at club


NATWEST’S bank manager inWest Malling turned up to help her local cricket team prepare for the forthcoming season. Jackie Cheeseman (pictured) joined members of the Town Malling Cricket Club at their pre-season work day, as part of the NatWest Cricket Force initiative. The club is looking forward to another great season on the his-


toric County Ground in West Malling and was very grateful for Jackie’s help and support.


the unit after the Mid-Kent treat- ment centre closed two years ago. It is now a major referral centre, offering procedures such as cam- era checks of the lungs, diagnostic and palliative procedures for those with pancreatic cancer and endo- scopic ultrasound. The hospital’s consultant gas- troenterologist Dr Bijay Baburajan said: “Only 10% of units pass their JAG accreditation visits first time.”


DVD thief jailed SCOTT Knight (21), of Premier Pa- rade, Aylesford, was jailed for 40 days atMedway Magistrates Court after he admitted fraud, theft and failing to surrender to bail. Knight stole DVDs from a house


in Rochester and dishonestly sold goods, claiming they were his. He also took a television from a prop- erty in Walderslade and failed to answer police and court bail. Hewas ordered to pay £40 costs.


Malling April 2014 25


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