London hospitals are struggling to cope with deadly superbugs, despite a major hygiene drive in the NHS - reports the Evening Standard.
Figures released today by the Health Protection Agency show rising rates of the potentially fatal stomach bug Clostridium Difficile.
Almost 1,680 people contracted the bug in the first three months of this year - a rise of 14% on the previous three months.
Additionally, around 1,200 people contracted MRSA - 25% more than the target level.
The figures come only days after chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson attacked hospitals for an "unacceptable level of hygiene".
Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Hospitals Trust was issued with an improvement notice last month for serious breaches of the rules, including basic measures such as not having alcohol hand-rubs.
The highest numbers of C.Difficile cases were at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals (Theresa Villiers MP and Joan Ryan MP), with 188 in the three months from January to March.
There were 132 cases at Whipps Cross (Harry Cohen MP), 123 cases at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust (Sadiq Kahn MP & Martin Linton MP) and 118 at Kingston Hospital (Ed Davey MP).
Other hospitals where cases of MRSA are on the increase include Newham University Hospital (Lyn Brown MP), Hillingdon Hospital (John Randall MP), and West Middlesex University Hospital (Ann Keen MP).
Many other London hospitals, while reducing the number of cases over previous years, still suffer a problem. And MPs would surely agree that even one superbug case is one too many.
So are these MPs going to vote to waste billions of pounds extra on the audit-failing EU - completely without justification - while their constituency hospital needs further investment to improve hygiene?
People are dying due to this hygiene problem. Can't the EU manage to get by on the £3.5bn a year (net) we already hand over every year? That's surely more than our fair share.
Showing posts with label kingston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kingston. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Tuesday, 13 March 2007
Kingston: Demonstrations over NHS cuts
A weekend of rallies against NHS funding cuts kicked off on Friday with a lively staff demonstration at Kingston Hospital - reports the Kingston Guardian.
The protest just after midday was organised by Unison and pressure group London Health Emergency (LHE) as a "shot across the bows" before more potential cuts at the hospital this financial year.
Kingston Primary Care Trust (PCT) which pays for patients' treatment, is trying to recover £22million of debt from April onwards.
Nora Pearce, Unison representative at Kingston Hospital, said: "Staff who've given their working lives to the NHS now wonder what the future holds.
"We've been reorganised over and over again and now every year starts with the threat of more cuts and privatisation."
Geoff Martin from LHE said: "It was a lively protest, quite angry, and I think it will really help our cause in the coming months. We had a lot of support from drivers on Galsworthy Road tooting their horns."
Public feeling on NHS cuts was also shown at a rally outside St Helier Hospital in Sutton on Saturday, as hundreds turned out to protest against Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust having to slash £24million from its budget in 18 months.
The protest just after midday was organised by Unison and pressure group London Health Emergency (LHE) as a "shot across the bows" before more potential cuts at the hospital this financial year.
Kingston Primary Care Trust (PCT) which pays for patients' treatment, is trying to recover £22million of debt from April onwards.
Nora Pearce, Unison representative at Kingston Hospital, said: "Staff who've given their working lives to the NHS now wonder what the future holds.
"We've been reorganised over and over again and now every year starts with the threat of more cuts and privatisation."
Geoff Martin from LHE said: "It was a lively protest, quite angry, and I think it will really help our cause in the coming months. We had a lot of support from drivers on Galsworthy Road tooting their horns."
Public feeling on NHS cuts was also shown at a rally outside St Helier Hospital in Sutton on Saturday, as hundreds turned out to protest against Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust having to slash £24million from its budget in 18 months.
Thursday, 18 January 2007
Health care cuts are 'half-baked' policies
Compulsory redundancies could cripple' our hospitals and cause residents' confidence in the NHS to plummet, it has been claimed - according to the Richmond & Twickenham Times.
According to research by the London Assembly Conservatives, as many as 2,500 jobs could be axed in NHS health trusts across south-west London, including Hounslow, Kingston and Richmond.
Tony Arbour, Richmond and Hounslow's Assembly member, said: "These latest figures show just how much this Government's half-baked policies are destabilising the NHS and making the work of local Primary Care Trusts and hospitals virtually impossible."
The research comes after a leaked Department of Health memo recently revealed there will be a critical shortage of nurses and GPs in the longer term. The memo contained proposals for 37,000 NHS job cuts across the capital within the next 12 months.
Tony Arbour AM added: "The prospect of job losses across the NHS in Hounslow, Kingston and Richmond will not only be unsettling for the staff themselves, but patients will also continue to lose confidence in the services the NHS should be providing at critical times in their lives.
"Kingston and the West Middlesex hospitals could be crippled if these proposals are implemented. I and my colleagues will resist them."
Kingston hospital, where many borough residents receive treatment, say they have been holding a number of vacant posts in anticipation of reduced activity or income and efficiency savings.
They confirmed that 20 clinical and administrative staff are at risk of redundancy, but claim that many of these will be redeployed into vacant posts within the trust.
A spokesman said: "The trust's consultation on workforce reductions has come to an end and decisions have been made as a result of feedback from staff and unions and it is vital to clarify that not all staff at risk will be made redundant."
According to research by the London Assembly Conservatives, as many as 2,500 jobs could be axed in NHS health trusts across south-west London, including Hounslow, Kingston and Richmond.
Tony Arbour, Richmond and Hounslow's Assembly member, said: "These latest figures show just how much this Government's half-baked policies are destabilising the NHS and making the work of local Primary Care Trusts and hospitals virtually impossible."
The research comes after a leaked Department of Health memo recently revealed there will be a critical shortage of nurses and GPs in the longer term. The memo contained proposals for 37,000 NHS job cuts across the capital within the next 12 months.
Tony Arbour AM added: "The prospect of job losses across the NHS in Hounslow, Kingston and Richmond will not only be unsettling for the staff themselves, but patients will also continue to lose confidence in the services the NHS should be providing at critical times in their lives.
"Kingston and the West Middlesex hospitals could be crippled if these proposals are implemented. I and my colleagues will resist them."
Kingston hospital, where many borough residents receive treatment, say they have been holding a number of vacant posts in anticipation of reduced activity or income and efficiency savings.
They confirmed that 20 clinical and administrative staff are at risk of redundancy, but claim that many of these will be redeployed into vacant posts within the trust.
A spokesman said: "The trust's consultation on workforce reductions has come to an end and decisions have been made as a result of feedback from staff and unions and it is vital to clarify that not all staff at risk will be made redundant."
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