14th. May 2012.
Worried Staff at St. John's raise concerns over Patient care, staffing levels and parking.
Read the SDC letters page here..
5th. May 2012.
ATSSJH Party - Election Results
After a hard fought election campaign, the result for us has been extremely disappointing. In losing all of our Council seats, West Lothian has lost a dedicated voice for health care at the heart of the Council. However, despite our hard work and commitment over the last five years, we respect the right of the electorate to ignore the ongoing threat to St. John’s services at the hands of an incompetent and discredited Health Board. This is democracy.
Read the full ATSSJH statement here
4th May 2012
NHS Lothian set for second probe into its waiting times
A FURTHER probe into NHS Lothian waiting lists is set to be carried out, it has emerged.
The health board has said it plans to follow the Scottish Government’s direction to every board in the country to review waiting times practices as part of its internal audit this year.
And it could also be scrutinised by Audit Scotland as part of a newly announced independent national review of waiting times practices..
Read the full Scotsman article here
3rd May 2012
ATSSJH Party Election day statement
St John’s is being dismantled under our noses. First we lost emergency surgery and trauma orthopaedics, and now the children’s ward is under threat. The trainee doctors were withdrawn in April and the ward is only being kept open by the consultants working overtime. This agreement ends in July. NHS Lothian is talking about a “regional” service which means our children will have to go to the Sick Kids. Worse, there are plans to reduce the number of births at St John’s, forcing more of us to travel to the Infirmary.
Some claim the hospital is busier than ever. But the “growth” is mainly in outpatients and minor surgery. Most surgical patients, people with serious illnesses and anyone with complex problems are sent to Edinburgh. Our children are next.
West Lothian people fought to build St John’s after Bangour. Now we have to fight again to keep it in its present form. Our presence in the Council since 2007 has so far prevented the further loss of services. We will oppose the Health Board’s repeated attempts to downgrade St John’s, and we won’t let the children’s ward go.
We will also keep St John’s in the news, having publicised much already including paediatrics, the waiting times fraud and torchlight operations at the Infirmary.
We do not oppose any political party. But we do stand with St John’s because this is our last chance to prevent major service change which will diminish the hospital forever. No-one consults the public before services are lost. We believe that we deserve better.
In voting for us you are making it clear that West Lothian will no longer be damaged to pay for a PFI hospital in Edinburgh.
In voting for us, you are asking that we continue to hold the balance of power in the Council so that its entire strength can be placed behind St John’s.
In voting for us you are ensuring that we can extend our five year track record of providing efficient, high-quality Council services delivered with no increase in local taxation.
In voting for us, you are giving a voice to the St John’s staff who are too afraid to speak, and to the thousands of patients who are desperate to keep their care local.
When you cast your vote, we ask that you think about what kind of hospital you want in West Lothian.
The Action to Save St. John's Hospital party
www.atssjh.org.uk
1st May 2012
Opinions masquerading as facts do nothing to preserve St John's as a 24/7 acute, emergency hospital. Here are the facts which can be verified through the minutes of the St John's Hospital Stakeholder Group and NHS Lothian Board papers.
Fact : NHS Lothian has known that a staffing crisis in the children’s ward was imminent since at least 2011, when they were written to by senior paediatric doctors
Fact : In April, all the paediatric trainee doctors at St John's were withdrawn..
Read the full ATSSJH statement here
27th April 2012
ST. JOHN’S HOSPITAL CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTER – ELECTION ISSUE
On Thursday May 3rd the people of West Lothian get their last chance to prevent the downgrade of the Children’s Ward at St. John’s. The Health Board has stated that the existing service will be maintained only till June. Once the election is over we believe the Board will say that there is not enough staff and that the Children’s Ward will be closed in the evenings and at weekends. When this happens the Special Care Baby Unit will close also. Worse still, the Board has also indicated that fewer women may be allowed to have their babies at St. John’s. And to add to the misery, children coming to A&E at St. John’s will either be transferred by ambulance or their parents asked to take them directly to the Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh..
Read the full ATSSJH Newsletter here
GIVING YOUR YOUR VOTE TO ATSSJH ON MAY 3RD IS A VOTE FOR St. JOHN'S!
27th. April 2012.
Barbour’s Short Cut to Retirement - statement by ATSSJH party
James Barbour, the former Chief Executive of NHS Lothian since 2001 has “retired”, citing the need to do “something new and different”.
His departure comes after some of the most disgraceful scandals in NHS Lothian’s history, revealed exclusively by this party..
Read the full ATSSJH statement here
23rd April 2012
Disbelief as firm running Edinburgh Royal Infirmary gives itself 99.14% for performance
Read the full Scotsman article here
21st April 2012
NHS chiefs urged to scrap Consort facilities contract
HEALTH bosses were today urged to take the maintenance contract for Edinburgh Royal Infirmary back in-house after the blunder by Consort which plunged two operating theatres into darkness, leaving one patient to be stitched up by torchlight.
NHS Lothian revealed staff had to ventilate the patient by hand after Consort cut off the power supply..
Read the full Scotsman article here
20th April 2012
ATSSJH motion on Paediatrics to West Lothian Council
Motion to West Lothian Council 17th. April, 2012.
Paediatric Services at St. John’s Hospital.
This Council notes the attempts made by the Action to Save St. John’s Hospital Party, supported by the Labour, Conservative and Independent members to establish the facts regarding paediatric and neonatal services at St. John’s Hospital.
Council further notes the comments made by the Leader of the Council and NHS Lothian that those who were trying to establish the facts were “scaremongering”; that there was “no threat” to paediatrics at St. John’s; and that those seeking the truth about contingency plans were behaving “disgracefully”.
Council therefore notes with astonishment the paediatrics paper presented to NHS Lothian Board on 28 th. March 2012. The paper states, inter alia, under “Key Risks”:
“4.1 An inability to staff the middle grade rota at St John’s for every shift with someone who has the necessary competencies to cover the paediatric service and the neonatal service.
Read the full Motion to West Lothian Council here
April 19th 2012
ERI surgeon forced to operate by torchlight
A PATIENT had to be sewn up by torchlight after the room was plunged into darkness when workers cut the power at two theatres at the Royal Infirmary.
The operating theatres suffered a complete power cut when staff from Consort, the private firm which runs the hospital, started scheduled maintenance work too early and switched the electricity off while the theatres were in use, instead of waiting until surgery was over..
Read the Edinburgh Evening News article here
NEWSLETTER 16th April 2012
NHS Lothian has failed once again to protect the interests of patients.
Their programme of centralisation has forced many thousands of West Lothian patients to travel to the Royal Infirmary. But it is clear that this is an unsafe hospital and that the Health Board will try to cover up serious mistakes which could cost lives.
On Thursday 29th March 2012 at 3.45 pm, two important procedures were ongoing in theatres 1 and 2 at the Royal Infirmary. In one, a surgeon was completing major surgery while in the other an anaesthetist was carefully inserting a needle into a patient’s back through which to administer the anaesthetic drug.
Suddenly, without warning, the power to both theatres was cut off! It was 20 minutes before the power returned. Meanwhile, the surgeon was forced to stitch up a gaping abdominal wound by torchlight and it was only through a miracle that the anaesthetist didn’t end up paralysing the patient in the theatre next door..
Read the full Newsletter here
April 1st 2012
The SDC has said it for years-NOW IT'S OFFICIAL
Two firms to probe claims of bullying by NHS bosses
TWO outside organisations are to be brought in to probe bullying among NHS Lothian management in the wake of the waiting times scandal.
Board chairman Charles Winstanley is expected to give details next week, following approval by Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Dr Winstanley was ordered to carry out the investigation into “inappropriate and oppressive management styles” at the health board after auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers uncovered large-scale manipulation of waiting list figures.
Staff had suspended up to 5000 patients from the waiting list in order to hit targets for the number of people treated within 18 weeks of referral. Auditors found that staff were fiddling figures because they felt pressured by senior managers not to deliver bad news on waiting times.
Read the full Scotsman article here
April 1st 2012
Closure risk for children’s ward
HEALTH chiefs are drawing up contingency plans to close the children’s ward at St John’s Hospital at weekends in the wake of a staffing crisis.
NHS Lothian insists the move would be highly unlikely but has been forced to outline an emergency plan due to recruitment difficulties.
It also said its maternity unit might only be able to handle straightforward births.
In a paper presented to the NHS Lothian board yesterday, a section titled “Key Risks” said there was a potential danger that the health board couldn’t staff every shift for the paediatric and neonatal services.
Read the full Edinburgh Evening News article here
March 28th 2012
Waiting list scandal man reveals shock at English proposal
THE man whose case first lifted the lid on the NHS Lothian waiting lists scandal today spoke of his astonishment at being offered surgery in England.
Alex Kerr, 59, who is disabled by osteoarthritis, went to the doctor about 18 months ago when he developed a painful growth on the instep of his foot.
At an appointment at the orthopedics department of St John’s Hospital, Livingston, Mr Kerr was told he should have surgery to remove it and was put on the waiting list.
Shortly after, he received a phone call from NHS Lothian offering him an appointment at a hospital in Northumberland.
Read the full Edinburgh Evening News article here
MORE staff at NHS Lothian are set to be suspended over the waiting lists scandal amid warnings it will cost up to £9 million to sort out..
Read the full Scotsman article here
20th March 2012
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20th March 2012
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2012
The Downgrade Continues – St John’s Is Being Torn Apart!!
This is the newsletter we hoped we would never have to write.
NHS Lothian, in their determination to downgrade St John’s to the status of a geriatric hospital, is now on the verge of destroying the children’s ward. They plan to use the pretext of the Postgraduate Dean asking for all paediatric trainee doctors to be removed from St John’s on April 11 th.
The crisis in paediatrics has been recognised for years. The Board knew about it but deliberately did nothing until the very last moment. The doctors in the children’s ward begged the Board last year to save the situation. They were ignored. Now the Board is scrambling to find doctors, nurses, indeed anyone from anywhere to help shore up children’s services at St John’s until after the May election. Once this is behind us they will pull the plug. First the Board will close the children’s ward at weekends, then at night, and then forever. The beds which are released will be eventually used for geriatrics from Edinburgh who cannot be accommodated in the undersized Royal Infirmary. This is happening already in some parts of St John’s where services have been centralised to Edinburgh leaving behind empty beds.
The downgrading of paediatrics is a threat not just to our children but to us all..
Read the full newsletter here
2nd March 2012
EMERGENCY SURGERY FOR NHS AUDIT
Scotsman article published 1st March 2012
- The Scottish Government has ordered a halt to an audit into NHS Lothian's waiting times - so it could take charge.
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- The Government has now insisted that it instructs the investigation and receives the report first.
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- NHS Lothian Chairman suggests that the' integrity' of the Board has been called into question.
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Read the full Scotsman article here |
St. John's Stakeholder Group - Minutes of latest meeting 11th January 2012 |
