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Christine Blakey
Frequent Contributor
1206 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 11:04:57
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Angela, very good point. This is what I have been asking!
What I feel is wrong is that elected members (not just labour councillors) went to the labour PR stunt, standing at the side lines. If anything good had come of it, they would have jumped in saying 'I was there for the people'. As it was embarrassing abuse of resources that should have been to fight for our hospital, they all stay quiet.
I did mention this in a Neighbourhood Forum. I simply got nods to my questions as they tried quickly to jump to the next topic. This is totally wrong.
It is a question however that I shall put to the full council if I can.
I have been saying this for two years now, EVERY councillor who is complaining about Stuart Drummond saying he is without the skills for the job, he will be out next time and don't worry, are seriously breaching their 'contract are being voted in'!
Funnily enough, I can only see that I have the 'nerve' to challenge wrong doing and because elected councillors have actually joined ranks to shut me up and get me out, it is hard to get further. |
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cookingfat
Occasional Contributor
95 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 14:05:34
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At the last Health Scrutiny Forum Cllr Geoff Lilley asked that we go back to plan 'B' which was the original Darzi report, he made the same point at Monday Tees Valley Joint Health Scrutiny forum.
However, there was no support from any other Councillors, most are still hoping a funding scheme can be found, but at what cost? |
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angela
Occasional Contributor
47 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 14:25:39
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A lone voice in a crowd of the compliant.
To me it looks like Brash ("the fight for Hartlepool Hospital is over") and his flock of sheep see political advantage in blaming the Tories for the situation and so have no intention of fighting for the people of this town.
Clueless Drummond has no idea what to do and has taken on the role of a mere observer.
The six week period the Hospital Trust has given itself to find the funding expires during The Tall Ships. My money is on an announcement to close the town Hospital will be made then when the papers are full of the Tall Ships - 'a good day to bury bad news' perhaps.
What a disgraceful shower of 'representatives' we have. |
Edited by - angela on 24 Jul 2010 14:26:13 |
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steveL
Frequent Contributor
564 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 14:38:03
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I think the public are in a state of wondering where to turn. No one in authority seems to vocalising the public's view which is the retention of our own hospital with a full range of services.
The 'Save Our Hospital' rally in Victory Square was nothing of the sort. 'The Hospital' turned out to be Wynyard and I didn't here a word about retaining our own Hospital. The whole issue was hijacked for political purposes by Wright, Brash, a gaggle of Leadership wanna-bes and a motley mob of UNISON members who seemed to want to re-live The Winter of Discontent under Callaghan . . . oh, and a few skateboarders who would have signed up for anything for a can of Fosters.
This 'Jewel in the Crown' of a posting was completed In Time for the Tall Ships |
Edited by - steveL on 24 Jul 2010 14:39:56 |
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marky
Occasional Contributor
48 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 14:56:45
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If anyone thought that getting to the new hospital at Wynyard would be a problem then I can assure you that the journey to North Tees is much worse.
The A19/A169 Wolviston Interchange is grid-locked twice a day and the Darlington Back Road is Grid-Locked three times a day. The A19 eases off after 8:45am but on the Back lane, the morning rush hour runs into the start of the school run which is repeated at 3:00pm. Then there is a gap of about 1 hour before the evening grid-lock begins.
It is absolute insanity that anyone in Hartlepool or the Collieries requiring emergency treatment is currently forced to run this life-threatening gauntlet. We need our own, fully functioning A & E Department back. |
Edited by - marky on 24 Jul 2010 14:57:05 |
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Christine Blakey
Frequent Contributor
1206 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 15:11:41
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Absolutely Marky!
I have had to travel to James Cook and North Tees for my health problems. Not only is it a slow traffic jam state all the way through, but then you have to find a parking space!
I believe that HBC should be consulting with the town but just like the blinkered and forceful consultation on spending cuts, we are only given the choice of Wynyard from those in control.
It is about time something was done about this. Democracy goes out of the window yet they get praise, stars and awards for being inclusive and to professional standards!
We need a hospital now! The Wynyard fantasy isn't materialising with huge debt as a major barrier so they should return some of the services and the jobs to Hartlepool. At least this grid-lock travel system would not be as bad or even a problem in Hartlepool itself? |
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not4me
Frequent Contributor
174 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 17:53:31
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| I'll be honest. I was never a great fan of Ian Wright, but his constant re-positioning on this issue for what looks to me like personal or party gain and on something so fundamental to the people of this town has left me with nothing but utter contempt for the little weasel. Little Big Man. We deserve better. |
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jojo
Frequent Contributor
441 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 19:30:56
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cooking fat
quote:
At the last Health Scrutiny Forum Cllr Geoff Lilley asked that we go back to plan 'B' which was the original Darzi report, he made the same point at Monday Tees Valley Joint Health Scrutiny forum.
However, there was no support from any other Councillors, most are still hoping a funding scheme can be found, but at what cost?
There were only two councillors who had the courage to stand up and speak for the people of the town - Geof Lilley and Steve Allison.
The Mayor, Labour, Conservative and Lib Dems always shouted them down and ignored what they said.
There were people in St Hilda Ward who apparently did not understand that the John Marshall who was not up for re election and is an Independent was not the John Marshall who was a member of the Labour Party who was on the ballot paper.
Consequently the Labour Party shoe in candidate, who was never seen or heard before the election and has never seen or heard of since the election was elected.
Steve Allison who had been a thorn in the sides of the Mayor and all three political parties was got rid of.
Geog Lilley is now on his own and unfortunately we are stuck with what we are left with.
The people of the town keep on voting for a Mayor who is a total loss except when it comes to looking after his own interests - Labour who know they can bury whole sections of the town 10 feet deep in horse manure and still win - Conservatives who's only aim is to make sure the Park ward is protected and bugger the rest - Lib "Dims" who are led by a man who should have been retired years ago and haven't got a clue between them - finishing off with a motley collection of "others" - some of whom are so far up the backsides of whoever they need to be, to get more money, that its difficult to tell who they really are.
What do people expect from such a motley collection ?
The town is going to loose the hospital, because the people either vote tribally and don't think about who they are voting for, can't be bothered to vote at all or don't know who they are voting for.
I have lived in Hartlepool all of my life and there are no worthwhile jobs for young people, high unemployment, high taxes, high teenage pregnancies, drugs and crime and we are leaders of almost every other benchmark of what is bad.
We are led by a Mayor and Councillors who apparently do not have an opinion between them about keeping the hospital in Hartlepool.
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Pandora
New on the Block
8 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 20:37:31
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Questions for the local political elite:
Why are the MP (indeed ALL local Labour MPs without exception), the majority of councillors, mayor, chief executive of the Health Trust (as a commercial operation I can certainly understand why Wynyard Park wants the business), still wishing to pursue the half baked idea of a hospital 9 miles from the centre of Hartlepool when:
1. The Coalition Government (rightly in my opinion) have cancelled this ridiculous PFI project. You remember PFI... the Private Finance Initiative - whereby public spending is mortgaged into the future at ridiculous cost to future taxpayers, such as my and your children (yet more public borrowing adding to this country's sickening structural budget deficit). The only people who gain (massively) are the developers and financiers. It was that bad even the Tories had second thoughts, only for it to be resurrected by Mr Blair.
2. 30,000 people made their views known in a Hartlepool Mail petition against the idea.
3. A whole new public transport infrastructure will have to be devised and created to service the facility in the middle of nowhere from Hartlepool, Stockton and East Durham, at no doubt tremendous cost. The A19 west of the A19 and Wynyard is currently devoid of ANY public transport.
4. The current road system especially the A19/A689 is totally unsuitable, and is constantly gridlocked at rush hour (even if the cause is just a broken down car). Either considerable amounts of public money will have to be poured into the roads to accommodate the thousands of extra staff/visitor vehicles, or ambulances are going to be taking even longer to reach an A and E department located miles from Hartlepool. How many extra stroke/ heart deaths because of all of those extra minutes?
5. The Labour Party and its cronies constantly bitch about environmentalism, and yet when push comes to shove they consistently cave in to the motoring lobby or devise schemes such as this that are totally at odds with their stated aims of decreasing dependence on the private car. How can forcing the population of Hartlepool and its surroundings to travel to a hospital 10 miles distant(and against their will) possibly be construed as being environmentally friendly (or people friendly for that matter).
After the expenses scandal, cash for questions etc etc I am now very sceptical of the motives of all politicians, but in the north east especially New Labour ones. My first thought when local councillors or MPs come up with even a logical idea is "what's in it for them?". When they come up with a totally illogical and half baked idea such as an out of town hospital at any cost, located in the middle of nowhere this question becomes much more pressing, serious and pertinent. The magnitude of one's scepticism rockets further when one realises that 5 years ago the self same politicans all campaigned to save Hartlepool's hospital. Remember Dr John Reid Labour's Health Secretary aided by Ian Wright, MP campaigning on the platform that Hartlepool 's hospital would remain open in the 2005 election? What or who has changed their mind? Certainly not the electorate.
Whose interests are being served by hospital care being displaced 10 miles out of town?
Anyone else smell a rat? |
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steveL
Frequent Contributor
564 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 21:06:03
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Excellent post although, in fairness, I should point out that the Wynyard Hospital was not a PFI hospital. That said, PFI is one of the options they are now currently looking at in an attempt to find funding.
Ironically, this is opposed by UNISON, the people who actually run HBC. 
This 'Jewel in the Crown' of a posting was completed In Time for the Tall Ships |
Edited by - steveL on 24 Jul 2010 21:08:07 |
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Pandora
New on the Block
8 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 23:02:20
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quote:
Originally posted by steveL
Excellent post although, in fairness, I should point out that the Wynyard Hospital was not a PFI hospital. That said, PFI is one of the options they are now currently looking at in an attempt to find funding.
Ironically, this is opposed by UNISON, the people who actually run HBC.
Thank you for correcting me on the initial plan being non-PFI steveL.
A thought occurred to me of towns of a similar or indeed, of a much smaller size than either Hartlepool or Stockton (populations of approximately 95,000/130,000 approx respectively, that have retained their hospitals, or indeed have actually had new build in central locations (albeit with ill-conceived PFI)... how about Darlington, Bishop Auckland and Durham for starters?
Presumably their MPs and councillors campaigned to keep their local hospitals within their local communities where their constituents live.
I note that the Mayor and MP, through the pages of the Mail have stressed the fact that clinicians have stressed the importance of a brand new hospital at Wynyard. This is no surprise... one must not confuse the interests of the medical profession with those of the general public/patients. Although not mutually exclusive they are not always the same. I'm sure accessibility is a much more important issue for patients whereas a new building in picturesque rolling countryside would be considered more important for the people who work there.
One further thought... Hartlepool General/North Tees were both built in the 60s and 70s. Is it really a necessity to completely demolish completely useable facilities much less than 50 years old? Would you demolish your house if it was 40-50 years old? How is that good for the environment, let alone the Exchequer? |
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steveL
Frequent Contributor
564 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2010 : 01:33:28
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In the recent commons debate held in an almost empty chamber the present health minister pointed out that the projected running costs of North Tees Hospital and Hartlepool Hospital combined were less than that projected for the new Wynyard Hospital. He also pointed out their relatively modern design and low maintenance backlog.
Iain Wright and Alex Cunningham had tried to play the ' why us and not them' card against other hospitals that had been given the go ahead. In all cases, those other Hospitals were much older, Victorian in some cases, they did not comply with present Fire and Safety Standards and had an enormous backlog of maintenance costs.
This 'Jewel in the Crown' of a posting was completed In Time for the Tall Ships |
Edited by - steveL on 25 Jul 2010 01:34:03 |
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rabbit
Occasional Contributor
84 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2010 : 13:06:14
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The Home Page of this forum will now enable us to know the views (or not) of our Councillors and MP(s) on the the future of hospital provision for Hartlepool.
I feel in the current climate that Wynyard Hospital is now a dead horse.
No manner of beating will get it up and running again, especially with a thin twig.
So, the powers to be in this town must prepare for their next move-to protect the existing Hartlepool Hospital.
This needs good arguments put forward as we will be competing with campaigns against hospital closures (or Accident and Emergency closures) in other areas of the country.
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8610173.stm
"Hospital reorganisation is already well under way. A&E and maternity services have been closed or earmarked for closure in a variety of places across the UK, including London, Greater Manchester and towns such as Blackburn and Burnley."
Also see /url]http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/340/apr23_1/c2238 |
Edited by - rabbit on 25 Jul 2010 13:23:42 |
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rabbit
Occasional Contributor
84 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2010 : 13:14:39
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The above post should have included:
Also see /url]http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/340/apr23_1/c2238[/url]
Where,
"Mr Lansley explained that he was not against change but that any hospital closures should be based on evidence and take into account the wellbeing of patients"
He may use that argument if Wynyard was to be bullt, but he cannot use that same argument, for closing Hartlepool Hospital and moving those services to North Tees. No way can the wellbeing of Hartlepool patients justify this! |
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snowy
Frequent Contributor
161 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2010 : 22:57:14
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So just who do these people represent, is their loyalty to their electorate or their party ? I think we can all work that one out. If they were to support the reinstatement of all services to Hartlepool, it could be construed as supporting the coalition, whereas to do nothing gives them ammunition for years to use against the 'cruel and heartless' opposition and what the people actually need is neither here nor there.
It's all a game being played out by obsessive political pygmies oblivious to the reality of the situation and apparently totally indifferent.
I always think of the electorate of Hartlepool and the Labour Party like a bad marriage, they ignore you and treat you with indifference and when they need you turn up with a bunch of cheap flowers, whispering their love and promises, the love struck but gormless voters fall for it and the cycle repeats itself. Love eh? |
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Wynyard/Hartlepool Hospital Issue
