Frank Dobson; right Gary Heather, secretary of Islington Trade Council

VIDEO: David Lammy begins his speech at the meeting

Published: 14 February, 2013
by TOM FOOT

HIS voice building into a familiar, angry crescendo, David Lammy spelt out the unanswered fears of three boroughs to the Whittington board members on Tuesday night with a warning that their controversial sell-off plans could ultimately lead to the end of a hospital so many have come to love.

One of several speakers at a packed public meeting at the Archway Methodist Hall, the MP said that once bits of the hospital had been broken away and sold off, the bald truth was that it could become ripe for a closure order.

He said: “If we let this happen, what will happen 18 months from now is that they will come back and argue the hospital is too small and it needs to close, or maybe it should join up with the Royal Free or the UCH.”

His Labour colleague Jeremy Corbyn had already warned in the House of Commons late last week how the changes would weaken the hospital and potentially lay the foundations for the Accident and Emergency department to be closed in the future on the grounds that it could not be sustained by such a small hospital.

Board members reject the view of what could happen at a later stage.

But it is this fear that the hospital is plugging itself into a destructive path which could lead to its complete downfall that is helping to fuel growing condemnation of plans to sell off half its site in Highgate, cap the number of births handled by its maternity department and cut 570 posts, including scores of nursing jobs.

As each week passes without a sign that the hospital’s chief executive, its board members or governing body are prepared to change their minds, the numbers now signing up for a protest march through the streets on March 16 are swelling.

More than 500 people crammed into the Methodist Hall, with many more having to make do with listening to proceedings on speakers in other rooms in the building.

Mr Lammy, who was born at the hospital, said it was “unacceptable” and “shameful” that the communities which will be affected had not been consulted about the changes.

He said: “At a time when we are losing our local newspapers – in Tottenham we have lost every single one – can I just thank the Camden New Journal and the Islington Tribune. Without them lifting the lid on this, we wouldn’t have known about this.

“The Whittington is a loved local hospital. We value it. When we talk about the safety that has been achieved at the Whittington it is largely because of the ratio between nurses and patients – it doesn’t make sense to now sack those nurses.”

It was supposed to be an evening when the board members who rubber-stamped the changes in a matter of minutes provided reassurances.

But, despite having the chance to speak first, their words failed to halt a string of angry speeches from MPs and members of the public who lined up to explain their significant worries.

Eleven members of the hospital board attended the meeting to explain the sell-off of £17million of public buildings, a cut of 570 posts – including 200 nurses – and proposals to halve the number of inpatient beds to a threadbare 177.

Joe Liddane, the chairman of the Whittington, apologised for the communication meltdown which led to the news being broken by the New Journal and its sister newspaper, the Islington Tribune, adding: “Many important aspects of care will continue to be provided in the hospital – when people’s needs are urgent or serious. However, there are many conditions that can be better treated in a health centre, a local clinic or people’s homes. This idea is happening world-wide and increasingly across the UK.”

His board colleague, Dr Greg Battle, a Holloway GP who sits on the Whittington board, added: “My patients tell me often they do not want to be admitted to hospitals. They are not seen as safe places to be. If you can get out quicker, and the community services are there to look after you, then that is the right thing to do. It is a good point to say: is there enough capacity in the community? We as GPs are absolutely determined that this work is not coming our way without the right resources.”

Whittington non-executive director Anita Charlesworth said: “We want to sell some of this land to bring the (maternity) facilities up to date. That would allow us to safely deliver 4,000 births a year, around what we do at the moment.

“We know we can  definitely deliver that number of women safely. By investing £10m we can deliver women safely in a facility that gives them the care that they want. This is not a cut to the maternity service.”

Chief executive Yi Mien Koh was invited to speak but made no comment at the meeting.

The concept underpinning the dramatic downsizing of the hospital is that some care is better provided in people’s homes and neighbourhood health centres.

But the “care in the community” mantra was met with near universal condemnation from everybody listening.

The meeting heard that the Whittington has the lowest mortality rates in the country and one of the highest nurse-to-patient ratios. This, it was suggested many times, was a reason to keep things the way they are.

Former Health Secretary Frank Dobson, the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, said: “Who’s going to buy the land next to the Whittington that is sold off? It is zoned for healthcare. So what are we going to get? Some thieving rotten rat-bag American healthcare corporation, that financed building a hospital next to the Whittington? We’ve got to keep up the fight.”

Islington South MP Emily Thornberry said she understood the idea of pushing care out of hospitals into the community, but accused the hospital of mishandling the changes.

The hospital’s stated aim of sending staff out into the community was inconsistent with its reduction in the number of nurses, she said, adding: “How can you expect us to trust you?”

Islington Unison rep Andrew Berry talked about patients “yo-yoing” in and out of hospital and called for pressure to be put on the Labour Party and the unions to back a huge demonstration in London. In 2010, the Defend Whittington Hospital Coalition proved too loud to be ignored when plans to shut the A&E were beaten away by a community outcry.

The New Journal and the Tribune got involved in the organisation of a protest march and headed the front of the demonstration with a battle bus.

There could be even larger numbers out on March 16, a demonstration which will go ahead once police consent has been agreed.

At Tuesday’s meeting, John Walters, the Pearly King of Finsbury, warned against “dumping the elderly on to local authorities”.

Gary Heather, secretary of Islington Trades Council, added: “What really concerns me is that workers in the hospitals haven’t been treated in the right way. They feared coming to this meeting.”

Whittington Unison rep David Webb said: “The sale of buildings leaves no room for expansion of hospital services on this site. We are a good hospital and provide good service and we want to do that in the future.”

NHS campaigners from across London had met in the House of Commons on Monday and agreed to join each other’s protests, the meeting heard.

The first staff to lose their jobs at the Whittington are 22 medical secretaries following a cost-cutting review by the former car parts company Unipart.

Candy Udwin, chairwoman of the Camden Keep Our NHS Public campaign, said: “Medical secretaries are on strike in south Yorkshire and that is the kind of direct action we need. We can win.

“This government might be nasty but they are weak as well. If they don’t listen, we need direct action. We need occupations and strikes. We need to back a demonstration in London.”

Defend Whittington Hospital Coalition chairwoman Shirley Franklin called for a vote from the meeting about whether the board should withdraw its plans.

All but three people of the 500 at the meeting raised their hands in support of that motion.

Ms Franklin, who said she had used £1,000 from her overdraft to fund the campaign so far, said: “Actually what we need to do is we need to get you guys on the board to join us in the campaign.

“We need to get rid of the Health and Social Care Bill. But we can’t do this on our own. People have to get together to win this. We need a London demonstration and then a national demonstration.”

Closing the meeting, Islington North Jeremy Corbyn MP said: “Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. We are in danger of throwing away a very, very valuable service. Let’s not think short term. The NHS was built by people with a vision. Don’t accept it. Stand up for the NHS.”

 

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Not a word from the £150k chief executive

 

WITH a six-figure salary of around £150,000 she was perhaps the highest-paid person in the room, writes RICHARD OSLEY.

So maybe the hundreds who came to face the Whittington Hospital’s board on Tuesday night over proposals that have sickened them with fear over the past month might have expected a least a couple of words from its chief executive.

But, after almost three hours of debate and discussion, the meeting closed without a peep from Dr Yi Mien Koh, who for the lion’s share of the meeting sat in the front row listening to speaker after speaker cut apart the reorganisation plans.

It was, naturally, an intimidating atmosphere.

But some might argue being able to eloquently explain the position under pressure comes with the renumeration. Instead it was largely left to Trust chairman Joe Liddane to do the talking and face the wrath head-on.

Dr Koh was afterwards being criticised in the Methodist Hall’s corridors after her failure to make an impact on the meeting.

She had been invited to speak at one stage but again the moment passed without comment. Some in the room likened it to a child who didn’t want to be picked out by a teacher for a maths question.

It may have been a mean assessment but the board had made great play of how they were almost all there to outline their vision.

That’s not to say Dr Koh has not offered an opinion. It’s just that it has been offered in press ­interviews instead.

She gave her first interview to the New Journal when she arrived in April 2011, as the hospital began its attempts to rebrand with a new title “Whittington Health”. Patients largely still use the perfectly normal name they have always used: the Whittington ­Hospital.

If the under­lying push for changes is cemented in a desire to get Foundation ­Status, it was clear from Dr Koh’s first answers: “Not getting Foundation Trust status is not an option for me. I am determined. We will work differently and we need to drive those changes.”

But after the battle to save the A&E three years ago, readers of that interview may have welcomed another comment from her: “I haven’t seen anything to say I’m going to close anything down.”

More than one of those present on Tuesday night, wondered whether it would have been sensible for her expand on that view.