Nobody Discussing Healthcare?

[dazza333]

Why are none of you even slightly touching the subject of healthcare? Is it that you are happy to be treated by a hospital that has proven to be substandard? (CQC report on Wye Valley Trust, Oct 14)This hospital is in special measures and a 'Death Tracker' has been implemented by the CQC because it has the highest death rate in the UK..........discuss...

[dippyhippy]

Welcome to you, Dazza!

 

In answer to your question....We have. There are many threads in various forums about the NHS.

 

Those of us who post regularly, often post about the state locally and nationally of our NHS.

 

Please take some time to search through, I can promise you there's a lot there!

 

For me personally, I would like to know candidates views on the crippling under funding of mental health services, and particularly CAMHS.

 

I've posted before, that this area is hidden yet growing problem. It's really at crisis point in this county.

 

As you say..... discuss!

[Chris Chappell]

There are approx 7000 people on the housing list!

 

Come back from Hunderton where the house has no heating, kitchen roof may fall in at any moment, no electric lighting in kitchen, bathroom or hall way. No heating for two years other than oil heaters and no hot water accept in shower. Daughter sleeps with mum as her bed is too damp to sleep in. Severe cracks in many of the walls, Not the worse I have seen! Water seeps through the roof when it rains. Told off mum for not having battery in either smoke detector, and there appears to be a garden growing in the guttering. Suggested door handles were replaced just in case fire fighters or paramedics need to get in. Poverty is of course relevant, you either have enough money or you do not.

Now waiting for Environmental Health to write a report but even if tenant is put on Home Point list could be three years before being rehoused.

 

So no problem there then! Tories will sell off best council housing, the homeless in Hereford can continue to sleep under the new bridge or in the shelter at St.Peters and the rest of us can sleep easy in our beds because we do not want any social housing and can not agree what affordable housing is!!! And in any case out of site out of mind! Only had three requests for help with housing issues so far this month. May be Spring has arrived.

 

We need to build 2/3 more 'foyers', 100 bungalows equipped for wheelchairs, several four bedroom houses and several three/ two bedroom houses, not to mention two bedroom flats across the county. I could not care less where they are built as long as they are on a bus route, near a shop and doctors surgery. Let's house the homeless and badly housed first then build for the others.

Every village and town needs to have more of these, prefer brown field sites but if not available build on green fields. People are the environment too and some of them may be our children or grandchildren!! Just a thought.

[dazza333]

dippyhippy, Hi.I agree that there really are major problems with our Mental Health Services, not just with children and adolescents but also with adults, but it not just down to funding. Herefordshire is a poor relation of the UK when it comes to healthcare staff retention. Its very poor UK wide but hits us hardest as we are elusive and expensive when you consider band 5 staff nurse rate of pay £11 approx plus average rents £600 plus. Furthermore, the government cut nursing student places by 25% in 2013 AND moved study away from diploma level to all BSc, inclusive of Mental Health Studies. The story is much the same with Social Work in Herefordshire. Compound this with the closure of MH facilities both day care and long term residency AND funding linked to austerity measures AND the government cutting 4000 senior nursing posts inclusive of Mental Health Nursing Services.....and therein lies the problem. The cheaper option for mental health services is to medicate and counsel. Hereford County Hospital allows many patients at risk due to mental health problems slip through the net because the Emergency dept is underfunded, understaffed, too small and the nursing staff they opt for there are the cheaper newly qualified bottom band 5s many of whom are ill equipt to deal with mental health patients as we have read about time and time again in HT. I really could pick layer after layer from this subject and the answer is always the same; fund and train.

[Chris Chappell]

Dazza, same question I have asked of the Parties standing for election to the Council.

 

Mental health is a huge issue in the county and is the reason why there is, believed to be, so much domestic violence. Although it is difficult to prove that domestic violence has increased in the county, from my long experience both as a care worker and as a councillor, I believe it to be on the increase. This is a mental health issue.

 

I also believe that the delivery of home care is the next big scandal in Herefordshire while there are rumours that some care in Care Homes is not as it should be. Not sure that it is being taken seriously by those who should know better but time will tell. I have highlighted it but there are some who do not want to rock the boat.

I have arranged for a visit in July with the CE of 2together, the provider of mental health care in Herefordshire, to come and visit with me some of the places/ people/ situations in Hereford where there is a mental health issue to be investigated.

 

There is very little in the manifestos of any of the political groups concerning the social and health welfare of people in Herefordshire.

There is a lot of talk about NHS funding, but not a lot about what happens at grass routes. As an Independent councillor, that gives me opportunity to do things differently which may help to how been done before in county. I am afraid that there are those in Herefordshire in health and social care who do not have vision or courage to change.

[Colin James]

I have split this from IOC topic and created one of it's own.

[Colin James]

There are approx 7000 people on the housing list!

 

Come back from Hunderton where the house has no heating, kitchen roof may fall in at any moment, no electric lighting in kitchen, bathroom or hall way. No heating for two years other than oil heaters and no hot water accept in shower. Daughter sleeps with mum as her bed is too damp to sleep in. Severe cracks in many of the walls, Not the worse I have seen! Water seeps through the roof when it rains. Told off mum for not having battery in either smoke detector, and there appears to be a garden growing in the guttering. Suggested door handles were replaced just in case fire fighters or paramedics need to get in. Poverty is of course relevant, you either have enough money or you do not.

Now waiting for Environmental Health to write a report but even if tenant is put on Home Point list could be three years before being rehoused.

 

So no problem there then! Tories will sell off best council housing, the homeless in Hereford can continue to sleep under the new bridge or in the shelter at St.Peters and the rest of us can sleep easy in our beds because we do not want any social housing and can not agree what affordable housing is!!! And in any case out of site out of mind! Only had three requests for help with housing issues so far this month. May be Spring has arrived.

 

We need to build 2/3 more 'foyers', 100 bungalows equipped for wheelchairs, several four bedroom houses and several three/ two bedroom houses, not to mention two bedroom flats across the county. I could not care less where they are built as long as they are on a bus route, near a shop and doctors surgery. Let's house the homeless and badly housed first then build for the others.

Every village and town needs to have more of these, prefer brown field sites but if not available build on green fields. People are the environment too and some of them may be our children or grandchildren!! Just a thought.

 

Chris, I know the lady in question and I cannot believe the situation she is in, its ridiculous, she was telling me how helpful you had been,   so lets hope you can get her re-housed as that house should be condemned! She should not have to suffer another Winter there.

[bobby47]

I sincerely hope you win your Ward Chris. Like Glenda, you've got teeth, you're a good lad and you care about people and like me, you were once proud to vote Labour. My warmest regards to you fella and once this silly season has finished, you and I will have that pint and we'll chat about days gone bye before we invited a tap dancing liar of a man with that holier than thou nature and those far away eyes to lead our party into a place called bloody doom and gloom.

My warmest regards to you Chris.

[Colin James]

I sincerely hope you win your Ward Chris. Like Glenda, you've got teeth, you're a good lad and you care about people and like me, you were once proud to vote Labour. My warmest regards to you fella and once this silly season has finished, you and I will have that pint and we'll chat about days gone bye before we invited a tap dancing liar of a man with that holier than thou nature and those far away eyes to lead our party into a place called bloody doom and gloom.

My warmest regards to you Chris.

 

Yes I echo bobby47, I hope you both win your wards because you both deserve too.

[dazza333]

Well Chris, I'm standing against your 'leader' in Credenhill and for the IOC. As a Registered Emergency Nurse and Visiting Nurse Lecturer at the City of Birmingham University Healthcare IS my agenda and I really do hear what you are saying. Healthcare at grass roots level is lacking from probably all of our party's manifestos. Within Herefordshire we are facing extreme healthcare issues, 1 in 3 (I believe) are of pensionable age, which brings with it complex and expensive care problems, furthermore, austerity brings poverty which also brings its own healthcare problems (Black Report, Inequalities in Health, 1982 an older publication but very relevant in 2015) Thus your point of domestic violence is not necessarily linked just to mental health but to poverty. Poverty is widely documented to be inclusive of its own set of healthcare linked problems and habits, e.g drinking to excess and smoking. So, yes it is missing from the manifestos but with good reason. There are very few healthcare related political thinking people left to write it in. Could your leader Bob Matthews have discussed this at length and so specifically with you?

[dazza333]

Furthermore Chris, I commend you for including healthcare as part of your own agenda. Well done.

[dippyhippy]

There have been some really incisive posts on this thread. Great contributions from both Dazza and Chris.

 

Dazza, I would agree retention of staff, and the over reliance on agency staff is a major factor.

 

This group of folk, whether CAMHS or adult services, benefit greatly from continuity of care. Building relationships and trust. Time and again, I hear that they never see the same person twice, that's if they can even see anybody at all.

 

I hear that The Crisis Team won't go out and talk to folks who have rung 999. An ambulance is sent.The Crisis Team are called again. Apparently; they will only consider it a crisis once the person in distress is admitted to A and E.

 

Where is the care???? The compassion??? The wanting to help??

 

There is time only for writing prescriptions, and not providing the therapeutic care which could make such a huge difference to a persons life.

 

And then we come to those organisations which seem to suck the lifeblood of funding from the NHS. Taurus, Primecare et al. Please take the time to find and read the "Taurus Healthcare" thread. Just pop that thread name in the search box.

 

As I said, we take what is happening to our NHS seriously on Hereford Voice.

[bobby47]

Dazza, Hello Pal. My warmest regards to you. Please don't take this as an attack, it's not, but you are doing it as well. Everyone is doing it. No matter how many times I switch my TV on or I read something relating to our NHS, it's always the same demographic who are offered up as an example of why our Health Service is crumbling. The bloody ageing population. If ever there was a group that didn't deserve to take a portion of the blame its them who are lucky enough to live longer and harvest the fruits of their past contributions to our health care system.

My wife's a Nurse and whilst she'd agree with you that the ageing population is a factor, it's not the main factor. There is another factor and it's considerably more problematic than the ageing population and yet, no matter what the circumstances, all political figures including you avoid saying it as it is. Why can't it be openly said that the impact of European policies have, are and will be placing a burden upon our health service unless we change course.

I'm really not having a pop at you pal but I know that the ageing population is a very distant second place to the growing population which is the reason why my wife, you and all the other Health Care workers are racing around trying to make this unsustainable model of International HealthCare work for everyone.

[dazza333]

Hi bobby47, no offence taken. Would you mind expanding on your point of how European Policy impacts upon UK healthcare please?

[bobby47]

I wasn't trying to be obtuse. I thought you'd grasp my point when I transmitted the phrase growing population. The European Union has a policy that allows free movement of people. You may have read about it or even noticed it.

[Chris Chappell]

Dazza, you are so right about poverty being a cause of mental health issues. It is also a reason, but not an excuse, for domestic violence. There is so much to do in the county with health and social care and so many heads to knock together to get it done properly!

[dippyhippy]

It sounds to me that you two could work well together.

 

I wish you both the very best.

 

Chris, you are an amazing ward councillor. I hope your constituents realise what a good one they have in you.

[dazza333]

bobby47, please forgive my unintended blunt questioning. I totally understand where you're coming from with regards to EU/UK border problems putting strain on healthcare infrastructure. My line of questioning was really just me probing you for knowledge. I've read some of your previous posts on Hereford Voice and I appreciate your knowledge base.

Chris, yes we should all work together. Ironically many Independents sing the same tune as the IOC, however, you as a body don't appear to know where you stand? You, as a body confuse me, you are Independent but work as a party???? If I stood as an Independent it would be "Independent", but that is not what you are. With regards to healthcare within Herefordshire who is your spokesperson? How is your spokesperson qualified to discuss healthcare? What are the main points of the Independents manifesto concerning healthcare? Again, purely for my own understanding and to bolster my knowledge base.

[Roger]

Isn't CAMHS in Hereford farmed out to Gloucester .... ?

 

2gether

 

Has Hereford tendered a bid to sort out Immunisations in Herefordshire ? I heard not. Will that go to Gloucester or somewhere else? All a bit crazy with the NHS at the moment. 

[dippyhippy]

Yes Roger.

 

The 2gether Foundation Trust provide CAHMS support, and cover The Stonebow Unit, community mental health, as well as other things.

 

They are based in Gloucester.

[Roger]

Yes Roger.

 

The 2gether Foundation Trust provide CAHMS support, and cover The Stonebow Unit, community mental health, as well as other things.

 

They are based in Gloucester.

 

To my way of thinking this is all getting tendered/farmed out to far flung parts of what used to be the NHS ~ which can only attract a degree of people sitting behind desks (at inflated salaries) just sorting it all out over the internet. Plus another tier of Management (on even more inflated salaries) sorting out the people in the Office ~ who are directing the front line with unrealistic targets. I heard that it may be coming in (proposal) that after a birth a mother may just get one health visitor visit in Herefordshire. Correct me if I'm wrong if anyone knows any different.

[dazza333]

There are approx 7000 people on the housing list!

 

Come back from Hunderton where the house has no heating, kitchen roof may fall in at any moment, no electric lighting in kitchen, bathroom or hall way. No heating for two years other than oil heaters and no hot water accept in shower. Daughter sleeps with mum as her bed is too damp to sleep in. Severe cracks in many of the walls, Not the worse I have seen! Water seeps through the roof when it rains. Told off mum for not having battery in either smoke detector, and there appears to be a garden growing in the guttering. Suggested door handles were replaced just in case fire fighters or paramedics need to get in. Poverty is of course relevant, you either have enough money or you do not.

Now waiting for Environmental Health to write a report but even if tenant is put on Home Point list could be three years before being rehoused.

 

So no problem there then! Tories will sell off best council housing, the homeless in Hereford can continue to sleep under the new bridge or in the shelter at St.Peters and the rest of us can sleep easy in our beds because we do not want any social housing and can not agree what affordable housing is!!! And in any case out of site out of mind! Only had three requests for help with housing issues so far this month. May be Spring has arrived.

 

We need to build 2/3 more 'foyers', 100 bungalows equipped for wheelchairs, several four bedroom houses and several three/ two bedroom houses, not to mention two bedroom flats across the county. I could not care less where they are built as long as they are on a bus route, near a shop and doctors surgery. Let's house the homeless and badly housed first then build for the others.

Every village and town needs to have more of these, prefer brown field sites but if not available build on green fields. People are the environment too and some of them may be our children or grandchildren!! Just a thought.

[dazza333]

Hi Chris, just a subnote to your above relevant and appropriate post on housing. I completely agree with you on this point and if elected I will offer you my full support. Truly affordable housing, particularly in my ward Credenhill, is very limited. A big problem very few mention for fear of being dismissed as unsupportive, is that the personnel at the SAS base allegedly buy up Credenhill housing stock, rent it out at elevated rates but live cheaply in barracks, leaving housing that is unaffordable with many residents either on benefits or minimum wage. Forgive me if I'm mistaken but I think the personnel are breaking the rules and should not own and rent out property within a 40 mile radius of the barracks they reside cheaply in?

[greenknight]

Apologies I seem to have missed this thread but anyway welcome Dazza333 I think perhaps you were pointed out to me by Jim Kenyon some weeks back whilst IOC were pitched up in town. I little short of time this morning but will respond to some of the comments made.At local level we have many challenges when driving change in the NHS and one of those has been the lack of positive action by our two current MP,s The nice but dim twins should have been banging on the Health Ministers door every bloody day these last five years highlighting in clear bullitt points about what is needed to improve healthcare provision in this fine county but no they towed the " keep your heads down" party line ...I don't think the Whip was needed.

 

Let's not forget the finger in the air billions promised but only if even more billions are saved first. None of the major parties know how to deal with the old girl now because it means spending more money and that don't cut it with deficit reduction.

[dazza333]

Hiya Greenknight, yes agreed. I wrote to Wiggin a while back following his HT column where he stated that we shouldn't use the hospital as a political football, I asked why not when the hospital is in such dire straights? His reply from the House of Commons was a generic Tory leaflet of no substance. Jesse Norman further disappoints me with his campaign idea for the hospital based on his arguing for lower parking charges since 2010 (failed) and helping to fix a ventilation pipe!!!! You couldn't make it up, especially when the hospital is shockingly underperforming, in special measures, cant keep its staff, has been put in special measures by the Care Quality Commision and is on a death tracker due to the excessive dear rates!!! Its a basic lack of grass roots knowledge of the Wye Valley Trust.

[Chris Chappell]

Good Morning Dazza and Everyone,

 

I will keep this short as have to be out soon!

The Independents are that, Independents, whereas IOC are a political group, I have had enough of doing what others expect of me. I have to do what I believe is right for my constituents. I will work with anyone who wants to provide a health and social care service in Herefordshire that will deliver. I have been involved with health social care for many years apart from being a care worker also for ten years was a member of the Hereford Community Health Council, which had teeth of course!

 

In answer to your housing question, there is nothing preventing in law the SAS from buying properties to rent and living in 'quarters'. I think there are proably still more serving members in South Wye than at Credenhill and certainly former members and yes they rent out their homes to the private sector but some also rent to Housing Associations. All serving members have to live within 20minuets of camp.

Interestingly, one of the LD candidates tried to stop a women's hostel being built in South Wye and at a public meeting the LDs arranged allowed some very unhelpful things to be said about homeless people! The issue of social housing needs to be looked at again following the election.

[flamboyant]

Dazza333 welcome to Hereford Voice.

 

Have you any knowledge of the following

 

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/media/2312032/healthy_lifestyles_booklet.pdf

 

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/health-and-medical-advice/young-peoples-health/im-under-25-what-physical-activity-should-i-be-doing

 

I believe it was grant funded.. Another serious waste of money that could have been used to address some of the issues raised in this thread.

[dazza333]

Hi Flamboyant, yes I am aware of them both, 'Healthy Lifestyle' was not just bespoke for Herefordshire it was and is a UK wide initiative. It wad introduced in an attempt to tackle the growing concern of lifestyle choices affecting health, all costing the NHS billions of pounds. Alcohol, smoking, poor dietary choice, obesity, sedentary lifestyle etc. The product of these poor choices have been evident to me as a nurse, more so in the last decade, as such I'm afraid I have to disagree with you that both of these initiatives are very beneficial. It has never ceased to amaze me how little many of us understand about how our lifestyle choices directly affect our health and of those around us. It had been noted of growing concern that teenagers are now presenting with coronary heart disease due to poor lifestyle choices. That is quite sad and reflects a lack of knowledge of the cause and effect of poor lifestyle choices.

[dazza333]

Chris Chappell, the research I've done tells me that the squaddies 'rented out house' should be outside of a 40 mile radius of the barracks housing they live in. Is this correct? If not, where have you got your information from please?

[flamboyant]

Dazza333 sorry I misled you into thinking I didn't think healthy lifestyles was a good idea or something that needed addressing.

 

I saw first hand the 100s of thousands of pounds wasted on this initiative, the marketing material adorned my desk for a number of months and trust me there was no expense spared! Nor was there any expense spared in the commissioning of staff or the salaries they were paid. Did one person ever cross my path asking directions to this service, the answer is no! From that perspective the scheme was ill thought out and if by some slim chance it met the criteria of the funding then the person/ people who set the criteria should be arrested! Please don't try and convince me this was successful at Herefordshire Council I already know it wasn't.