Watford: Doubt raised over super hospital

Health campaigners have asked where the money to rebuild Watford General is going to come from following another damning report into the state of local NHS services and the resignation of the man in the charge - reports the Watford Observer.

The new report comes just days after health chief David Law resigned as chief executive of West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mr Law, the man who was in charge of Watford General for three years, quit his £120,000-a-year post last Friday evening after a report, by the Healthcare Commission, slammed the state of local health services.

The trust has been dogged by poor hospital standards and huge debts and last week was given a double "weak" rating when it came to the quality of service it provided - putting it in the bottom 5% in the country.

This week, another official health report, this time by the Audit Commission, found the trust remains £11 million in debt - one of just ten trusts across the country more than £10 million in the red.

The annual review graded trusts on a range of financial measures, including value for money and financial management.

The trust was given a "one", the lowest possible grade, meaning its finances are "inadequate".

Health campaigner Jean Brett has questioned whether the trust can now attract investment to pay for the £300million redevelopment of Watford General.

She said: "With problems like those highlighted in the Audit Commission, do they really think anybody is going to put forward the money for that trust as part of a PFI development?

"This is one more nail in the coffin for the PFI."

Watford MP Claire Ward said: "I have indicated to the Strategic Health Authority that I will not support the appointment of any chief executive who does not give full support to Watford Health Campus. This project is essential to the future development of the NHS in my constituency."

However the hypocritical Ms Ward herself is not giving all the support she could to the potential development, given she intends to quietly approve a £7bn increase in funding to the audit-failing EU when the European Communities (Finance) Bill comes before Parliament for approval.

Ms Ward can hardly claim to be standing up for local public services if she plans to support the waste of vast sums of public money on an organisation that hasn't been able to explain how the "majority" of its budget has been spent for thirteen years running.

Waste in one area of public spending - especially of sums as large as £7bn - inevitably means consequences elsewhere. If Ms Ward supports the EC (Finance) Bill, only she will be to blame for insufficient health services in Watford.

Watford: Hospital trust rated 'weak'

The NHS trust in charge of Watford General Hospital has been rated as weak in its quality of service and financial management - reports the Watford Observer.

The Healthcare Commission's annual health check found West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which looks after Watford General, St Albans City Hospital and Hemel Hempstead General Hospital, failed to provide the necessary service to patients and continues to be weak at managing its finances in 2006/07.

This assessment follows the 2005/06 report that also found the Trust to be weak in both service and financial management.

Hertfordshire: Police cuts could reach £5m

Budget cuts of up to £5million could hit our police next year, the Hertfordshire Police Federation has warned - according to the Watford Observer.

Chairman Detective Constable Alan Kemp has warned of a damaging effect on morale and officer numbers when the force's budget settlement is agreed at the end of the month.

Police funding is currently split between a bloc central government grant (the budget settlement) and a Police Authority precept added to council tax bills. The budgets run from April to April.

With increases in the latter funding likely to be capped at 5% (as it was last year) by the government, the federation is warning of a significant drop in funding of up to £5million.

Detective Constable Kemp warns this could lead to retiring staff not being replaced and a further strain on his already stretched members.

He said: "We know savings will be made but we're not sure what extent they will be yet.

"In real terms all forces are having their budgets cut year on year and it's really beginning to bite. It has to have a knock-on effect on staff."

A Hertfordshire Constabulary representative confirmed that a government funding cut "in real terms" was likely but stressed next year's budget, to be drawn up by the Police Authority, was yet to be agreed.

He confirmed, however, that savings would probably have to be made. Last year's budget was agreed at more than £165million.

Watford: A&E nursing jobs face axe

A nurse from Watford General Hospital has slammed plans to slash the number of staff in accident and emergency (A&E).

The nurse, who currently works in the department, claims hospital bosses have told staff that West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust will halve the number of nurses in A&E.

In a letter sent to the Watford Observer, the nurse has revealed staff in A&E are already over-worked and that when emergency services at Hemel Hempstead close, the Vicarage Road hospital will be dangerously under-staffed.

The nurse said: "I believe they are about to put patient care in A&E at a big risk.

"Anyone who has been in the department recently will know all the nursing staff are constantly running around, caring for very sick patients, giving treatments or assisting in the doctors' duties.

"To reduce the staff by this number will increase the time to be seen and to be treated and also compromise the care given to patients. Many members of staff, nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers have already said that they think patients will die because of these cut backs."

Currently every shift at Watford A&E is staffed by ten nurses during the day, and eight at night.

NHS bosses are thought to be looking to reduce this to five nurses during the day and four at night and relocate 22 nurses to other areas of the trust.

However, under a major reorganisation of health care in Hertfordshire, A&E services at Hemel Hempstead Hospital are due to be transferred to Watford, meaning tens of thousands more people will soon rely on the service.

The nurse, who has asked to remain anonymous, said staff are concerned they will not receive sufficient training if they are transferred to a new role.

A trust spokesman said a final decision on the number of nurses employed in Watford A&E has not yet been made, but did confirm that hundreds of agency staff would be lost.

The cuts are part of huge cost cutting measures, which will see the equivalent of 135 full-time nurses and midwives axed across the trust.

The move aims to save the cash trust millions of pounds.

The spokesman said nurses from A&E will not be made redundant, but will be sent to other areas of the trust.

He added that most of the terminated staff members will be agency workers.

Chief executive of the trust, David Law, said: "Our primary aim is to ensure that patient care is not compromised, while bringing the trust back into financial balance and ensuring high-quality services to people living in west Hertfordshire, in the long-term."

Hertfordshire: Fire service 'at breaking point'

A leading firefighter has warned resources in Hertfordshire are now at "breaking point" following cuts and closures across the county - reports the Watford Observer.

Tony Smith, secretary of Herts Fire Brigade Union, has spoken out against Hertfordshire County Council's decision to close Radlett and Bovingdon fire stations last year and warned more cuts to the service would leave it dangerously short.

He said: "Our chief says there are going to be more cuts coming. The cracks are starting to show because the cuts have been too deep and it is time to bring back those two stations and invest something in the service."

Figures released by the county council this week show on top of fires within the county border, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue services attended 852 incidents in neighbouring counties between July and December last year.

Crews from neighbouring counties were called into Hertfordshire 171 times.

However, the county council maintains the number of call-outs is decreasing with crews in Hertfordshire attending 15,971 incidents in 2001/2, compared to 12,460 call-outs last year.

However, on Tuesday a petition containing a signature from almost every resident in Radlett was delivered to the county council demanding the village station reopen.

Stephen Oakes-Monger, of Park Road, Radlett spent two months knocking on every door in Radlett collecting almost 7,000 signatures.

The 48-year-old said: "It is an overwhelming condemnation of the county council's decision to close the fire station."

In the past two months there have been four fires in Radlett. And in March, an aerial ladder platform had to be called from Luton to attend a fire in The Heath, but took so long that the blaze was out before it arrived.

It is also alleged that, on at least one occasion, crews coming from across the county could not find their way to the fires in the village.

West Herts hospital trust plans 500 jobs cut

Hospitals in West Hertfordshire are the latest to face up to mounting debt in the NHS by shedding jobs, according to the BBC.

The trust said up to 500 jobs would have to go in the next 12 to 18 months to help tackle debts of £28.6m - whereas the government hands £115 million to the EU every single week without justification.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it would cut back on temporary staff to reduce the number of people in permanent posts affected.

The trust, with hospitals at St Albans, Watford, Hemel Hempstead and Northwood, recently published restructure plans.

The trust's financial forecast shows that, even after delivering the current turnaround programme and making some staffing cuts over a five-year period, the hospitals would still face a deficit of £18m in 2009/10 because of changes in income and costs.