Friday 11 October 2013

A&E issues in Buckinghamshire


There are a lot of unhappy people in the south of Buckinghamshire, especially in the High Wycombe area.  They want their A&E and other hospital services back! The sad truth is that this is unlikely to happen.

As I have written about previously (What is happening to my hospital)  the A&E service closed down in 2005 and first there was the Emergency Medical Centre then in 2012 there was the Minor injuries and Illness Unit (MIIU). This must have felt like a downgrading of services each time there was a change.

The authorities did not do a good job in explaining the reasons for these changes to the residents of High Wycombe and the surrounding area.

As part of their inquiry into the actions being taken as a result of the Keogh inquiry into Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust the county Council health and social care select committee is going to examine the provision of A & E services.

I am predicting that they will say something along these lines:

  • Better facilities for A & E should be provided at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
  • More permanent  Consultants, junior doctors and nurses in A&E are needed at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
  • Better parking is needed  at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
  • Better transport links (roads and public transport) between High Wycombe and Aylesbury are needed.
  • An effective and regular publicity campaign about the appropriate service to use (A&E, MIIU, Pharmacies, GP surgeries etc.) is needed.


They may use a few more words though.

See press articles

See Steve Baker MP for High Wycombe Blog

Communication

I love this quote:

Communication is primarily a function of trust, not of technique.  When the trust is high, communication is easy, it is effortless, it is instantaneous, it is effective - it works.

But when the trust is low and the emotional bank account overdrawn, communication is exhausting, it is terribly time consuming and its like walking in a minefield.

I wish I knew who said it?  so I googled it and ..........

 Stephen Covey, from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People