Highlights a range of issues.
Whipps Cross is in Cohort 3 of the 40 hospitals that were annouced a few years ago.
Proposed car park - Phase 1 and funded
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Showing posts with label Whipps Cross Hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whipps Cross Hospital. Show all posts
Monday, 18 September 2023
Friday, 30 June 2023
Save the Margaret Centre
|
Thursday, 29 June 2023
Sunday, 2 January 2022
Friday, 26 November 2021
Whipps Cross Hospital
On the 24th November 2021 LBWF's Planning Committee gave planning permission for the new hospital to be built where the old Nurse's home is being demolished. The Planning Officer's report was feeble as it just accpeted all the points Barts Health had made. At least 10 public speaker's were allowed their 3 minute speeches, most of them makiong the point that more land should be kept for future Health needs. But the Councillors (4 Labour and 1 Tory) ignored this and 3 didn't even speak so it was a pure rubber stamp on what Barts had submitted.
The GLA Stage 1 was more critical and whether the Officer's report has dealt with the GLA's concerns about not losing any of the existing services will be dealt with by their Stage 2 report and the Section 106 agreement.
Concern has been expressed about the lose of services as follows:
The massive disposal of NHS land that is predicated in the Planning Application will leave the NHS with no space for the replacement, on the Whipps site, of these existing centres provided by Barts NHS Trust and North East London Foundation Trust:
1. Woodlands Day
Centre – cares for patients with all varieties of haematological disorders.
2. Connaught Day Hospital - comprehensive care for
elderly patients – covering their medical, social and emotional needs.
3. The Margaret Centre – a fully functioning Hospice
4. NELFT's Woodbury Unit (which provides a
service complementary to the acute medical services provided by Whipps Cross
Hospital, mainly for frail, elderly people, but including others where
appropriate), and
5. NELFT's Pine Lodge Unit (which provides the acute psychiatric liaison service to the hospital and is especially important to the Accident & Emergency Department and Urgent Care services).
The services currently provided by the Woodbury Unit and Pine Lodge Unit are not identified in the published design plans, planning applications and health and care strategy documents of the Barts Health NHS Trust.
All five services are integral to and/or supportive of the clinical functioning of the present hospital. If there is no space for their inclusion, then the new hospital will not be a replacement hospital; it will provide a lesser breadth and depth of service, and will represent a reduction in service levels offered to the people of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Newham and Epping contrary to the GLA policy S1.
In
addition the Ambulance Depot is on its own site, but is in the curtilage of the
NHS site, and if it wanted to expand it would make sense to use land adjacent
to the current depot.
Selling
off too much land would damage the chances of providing a good NHS service in
the future by not allowing any wriggle room for future expansion. You need to put
a restriction on this application that states “more land should be kept for Health
Services use until the new hospital is up and running and the NHS and Community
services have a better idea of how much land they really do need”.
Tuesday, 9 November 2021
Whipps Cross Hospital Redevelopment
The Planning Committee may be deciding the future of the Whipps Cross site on the 24th November, but the date and venue are still to be confirmed. Make sure you register to speak.
Whipps Cross Redevelopment: Action4Whipps Statement Please share.
Recent news reports are saying that, in reaction to public
concern, Barts Healthcare Trust have committed to zero reduction in bed numbers
at the new Whipps Cross Hospital, and to keeping the Margaret Centre for
palliative and end-of-life care. While it's welcome that Barts are responding
to public concern, there are still many questions to be answered, both about
bed numbers and the Margaret Centre.
Concerning the beds, the Redevelopment Director for Barts'
qualifies the commitment to maintaining the current "bed base" with
"should that prove necessary."
His statement is not clear about the actual future of the Margaret
Centre.
Bed numbers:
Barts refers to "flexibility" in
planning, design, and bed numbers, and that this will enable them to maintain,
rather than cut bed numbers, if this is needed.
·
They say there will be an annual
report based on a continuous review of bed numbers needed. How will the review be
done?
·
We consider that bed numbers
need to be planned and projected well into the future, especially as Whipps
Cross is to specialise in the care of older people.
·
The number of over 65s in the catchment area is projected to grow by 25% within three years of
the new hospital opening. We
believe this warrants planning now for an actual increase in bed
numbers.
The issue of flexibility:
·
The size of the rebuild is not flexible; it's
already outlined in the current planning application, before Waltham Forest
Council. If this planning application goes ahead, the space for the new
hospital is fixed, and cannot be expanded. The footprint for the new hospital
is also fixed by the budget allowed by Central Government.
·
So what
important services, or spaces for staff learning, and for team and office
space, would have to be cut, or moved off site, to make room for more beds? The Barts Summer 2021 newsletter,
mentions the flexibility to convert office space into additional wards. Staff
need office space, just as patients need beds.
The Margaret Centre: specialist palliative and end of life
care
Barts say that, in response to local concerns, they are
now working with St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney and the North East London
Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to “establish what an end-of-life care
offer” “could look like in a way that could be delivered from the Margaret
Centre.”Of course we welcome this in principle, but there is little detail in
Barts’ statements and there are important questions still to be answered:
·
Barts say they will look at whether
the Margaret Centre will remain on the hospital site, or be re-provided
elsewhere in Waltham Forest. When and how will this be decided?
·
Are these plans intended to be
permanent arrangements or interim until the new hospital is built?
·
It appears that the North East London
CCG will lead on the planning. Does this mean decision making about the future
of the Margaret Centre now rests, ultimately, with the CCG?
· The CCG covers a vast area from Havering and Barking &
Dagenham to Hackney. Health services across North East London have been
underfunded for years, so will the reprovision have to compete for funding with
other badly needed services across the area?
·
Will people from across the Whipps
Cross catchment – Redbridge, West Essex and Newham as well as Waltham Forest –
all have the same right of access to the new service?
·
What is the timing of these changes?
Barts say they aim to begin implementation in 2022. How will staff at the
Margaret Centre be involved?
We will urgently seek clarity from Barts on these issues.
We believe it is vital to retain the Margaret Centre in its entirety as a local
specialist NHS end of life and palliative care service. It must be free to all
who need care, and accessible to everyone living in the Whipps Cross catchment
area.
Other services:
·
There
is no mention by Barts of other services currently provided at Whipps Cross
that are not in the design plans of the new hospital. In particular the Outpatient Dialysis Service and the Connaught
Day Hospital, providing rehabilitation
for older people.
All of this, notwithstanding Barts' assurances, give us cause for
concern about what actually will be provided at the new Whipps Cross Hospital.
Our campaigning, and the representations to Barts made by our MPs,
Redbridge Council and members of the public have clearly made a difference. But
if we're to get the hospital we need there is still lots to do.
You can email us at whipps.cross.campaign@gmail.com
Friday, 21 May 2021
Whipps Cross Hospital Site
CLOSING DATE FOR OBJECTIONS TO LBWF 16th June
Below are details of the Planning Application for the new hospital and the sale of the land for over 1,500 new homes.
To see the details of the Planning Application click on these links
The Planning process means we have until June 13 to submit our objections. These have to be submitted via the LBWF's Planning web site and you have to register before you can submit your objection - just your name and address, so make sure you register now.
The Mayor and the Greater London Authority
Barts Health have submitted their plans to LBWF where the Planning Officer scrutinises them and ensure they comply with the LONDON PLAN and the LOCAL PLAN. The PLANNING COMMITTEE will later in the year decide if the plans are acceptable.
Meanwhile THE MAYOR looks at the plans and issues a STAGE 1 REPORT in which he assesses the scheme and says what improvements he wants to see.
This is sent to the council and the Planning Committee make their decision. This is then passed onto the Mayor for the STAGE 2 Report and if the Mayor is minded he gives the final approval. This process will take months!
The main land use objections are:
1. The hospital should not be reducing the beds by 51
2. A new Hospice should be provided to replace the Margaret Centre
3. Space is needed for after care - i.e convalescent facilities.
4. The massing of the hospital is too dense and does not create Barts Health's vision: "Our overarching vision is to create ‘a hospital in a garden and a garden in a hospital"
5. Space for Key Hospital Worker homes is essential for the staffing of the hospital.
6. Space for expanding the hospital in a crisis e.g. pandemic, fire etc.
7. Future Health Service facilities.
2. A new Hospice should be provided to replace the Margaret Centre
3. Space is needed for after care - i.e convalescent facilities.
4. The massing of the hospital is too dense and does not create Barts Health's vision: "Our overarching vision is to create ‘a hospital in a garden and a garden in a hospital"
5. Space for Key Hospital Worker homes is essential for the staffing of the hospital.
6. Space for expanding the hospital in a crisis e.g. pandemic, fire etc.
7. Future Health Service facilities.
8. Tower blocks of 18 storeys for residential use are inappropriate on this site.
9. 1,500 homes is over development of the site, especially if it is to be car free. Space has to be left for buses to serve the new hospital and the homes.
The following pictures are gleaned from the Planning Application:
Description of the Planning application
View of the new Hospital
Public Transport Access
New 500 Space Car park
Chapel Park
Landscaping
View from Canterbury Road
View from Epping Forest
View from Whipps Cross Interchange
Aerial view of the existing site
Tuesday, 12 January 2021
A4W Sign the letter to MPs
Please sign this letter to the MPs
A4W Updates
Barts are expected to submit their planning application in February. There will be a full one for a car park and outline for the new Hospital and the housing - over 1,500 homes are being planned by LBWF
Hopefully much of this building will be saved and converted to flats
Friday, 20 November 2020
Action 4 Whipps
Action4Whipps Updates
It was reported to the last meeting of A4W that the Margaret Centre, the hospice run by Barts as part of Whipps Cross hospital, is not ring fenced and could be replaced by 6 dedicated beds in the new hospital. This makes no sense as the Margaret Centre, currently 11 beds, is a separate building away from the noise and disturbance of the main hospital, which provides a tranquil location for palliative care and end of life care.
Barts' argument is people want to remain in their homes at the end of their lives. True that may well be but it is often not practical. If the dying person lives on their own or their partner is too frail to cope a hospice is a vital alternative. I have known 3 people whose lives ended at the Margaret Centre and they had the most wonderful care and as good an end as they could wish for. Our neighbour, a person living on their own in a small bed sit flat, ended his days in St Jospeh's as it was not practical to nurse him in the confined space of the upstairs flat.
If Barts will not continue to support the hospice then they should allocate sufficient land on the Whipps site so that a new hospice can be built and terminal care provided in a pleasant well staffed environment.
Come and join the group to ensure the Whipps Cross Hospital site is developed to meet the needs of residents rather than to satisfy the needs of the financiers.
whipps.cross.campaign@gmail.com
Monday, 26 October 2020
Action4Whipps
The Planning Application 201548 for the demolition of the Nurse's Home was approved in July and work starts soon. Bart's have decided this is the best site for the new hospital.
Saturday, 10 October 2020
Action 4 Whipps - Update 1
Action4Whipps is about to have its own web site and will be a source of information about the redevelopment of the site.
Book Your slot for the Public Meeting
Sunday, 27 September 2020
Action 4 Whipps
A group has been formed to lobby for the best hospital and use of the spare land as we can get in negotiations with Barts Health Trust.
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