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MP's "super-hospital" plan under microscope
By Hugh FortJuly 30, 2012
THE people of Bracknell have been urged to get behind the borough MP’s plans for a super-hospital – but some remain sceptical of the ambitious project.
Dr Phillip Lee’s bold plans for the hospital, which he wants to be situated close to Junction 8/9 of the M4 motorway near Maidenhead, were discussed at a meeting on Tuesday.
Dr Lee’s proposals come as he feels a number of the hospitals currently serving Bracknell, like Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and The Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, are not fit for purpose.
His aim is to provide a state-of-the art facility for as many people as possible.
Dr Lee makes no secret the plan is hugely ambitious and would need to be funded by the closure and sale of both Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals.
After presenting the plans, he took questions from the audience of around 50 people.
One man raised concerns about transport, saying if the M4 was closed because of an accident, then people travelling to the hospital would be ‘totally stuck’.
Dr Lee pointed out people already travel on the motorway to Wexham Park, but admitted there would have to be ‘major improvements’ to transport, including regular buses and, ideally, a helicopter pad for the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance.
Many people in the audience argued Heatherwood was a valuable asset and put it to Dr Lee that as Bracknell’s MP, he should be doing more to save it.
Dr Lee said it would be an ‘easy vote winner’ to pledge his support for Heatherwood, but said he ‘genuinely believed’ the new hospital would benefit more people.
He said: “Heatherwood needs to close. It has assets and value, as it is opposite Ascot Racecourse and close to the station.
“To have surgery at Heatherwood, you still have to be wheeled outside, underneath a cover, to get to the unit. This is unbelievable.”
Another woman, who worked as a nurse, admitted she was initially sceptical of the plans.
She said: “I’ve had two times in my life where I’ve needed complex care. Each time I travelled further because I wanted to ensure I was treated by the best people.
“I think it would be the same here. I think it’s a great idea.”
John Barlow, who is part of the Save Our Hospital group in Marlow and has been battling to preserve services at Wycombe Hospital, said: “I am a card-carrying member of the Labour Party, but I fully support this idea.
“What it needs is public support, a group of people to come forward to push this.”
For Dr Lee’s full report, visit www.phillip-lee.com
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said creating specialist ‘centres of excellence’ would force patients to travel further but would improve levels of care. Prof Williams’s comments come despite enormous public opposition to the changes and concerns that patients treated in urgent-care centres – the replacements for local emergency wards – could be misdiagnosed. He said: ‘It will be something that patients will struggle to understand, but the reality is that reconfiguration will actually improve the quality of care and result in fewer complications following treatment.
Emergency surgery patients in some places had a 20 per cent chance of dying, while in other areas the risk doubled to 40 per cent. He said emergency patients had historically received worse care than those who planned their operations, but centralising services could address this problem.
Professor Matthew Cooke, the Department of Health’s clinical director for emergency medicine, added: ‘Patients have the best outcomes when they are seen by doctors, nurses and therapists with specialist expertise. For critically ill or injured patients in need of immediate care, that can be the difference between life and death.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2187025/Nations-surgeon-backs-plan-axe-A-amp-E-wards-claiming-SAVE-lives.html#ixzz23WdqHnyB Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2187025/Nations-surgeon-backs-plan-axe-A-amp-E-wards-claiming-SAVE-lives.html#ixzz23WdgywJL
14/08/2012 at 14:08 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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04/08/2012 at 12:26 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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Fewer residents claim to have medium or high happiness levels than the national average... etc. Perhaps Dr Lee can kick donkeys (real word is banned) at the council, and get Winchester house blown up? Lets have one hell of a fireworks!!!!
03/08/2012 at 23:49 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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http://www.getbracknell.co.uk/news/s/2118165_people_in_bracknell_are_not_happy
Can Dr. Lee do domething to cheer us all up?
03/08/2012 at 22:47 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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The only people that appear to support Heatherwood are the DOCS group that is run by Socialist Party member Terry Pearce - http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/keyword/UK_Towns_and_cities/Bracknell/14107/07-03-2012/partycampaigns-news-in-brief
Do tell me about Slough? What does Phillip Lee do there and where? Times and dates like?
How would you see Phillp Lee contributing to the Schools in the area?
03/08/2012 at 18:50 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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If he were to concentrate his efforts - when not swanning around in SLOUGH earning his second wage - on say the regeneration of Bracknell, getting involved in initiatives to help disadvantaged youth affected by cuts to local services, looking at real term efforts for the jobless and helping get people back into work, getting involved in helping push up the standard of our local schools - he'd get a much more sympathetic hearing. But you Tories are only interested in furthering your own interest rather than that of the whole of the region. Meanwhile this unnecessary diversion into his fantasy hospital does nothing for anybody - not in real terms in the here and now.
But as I've said elsewhere Phillip Lee treats us as the little people who don't know any better, and he's the one to help us from ourselves. It's patriarchal, belittling, insulting, and ultimately self defeating.
As for being a winger - I'm not keen on ball sports so you've lost me entirely old chap. Refusing to see beyond the end of my street? - I suspect I can see much further you than you with your myopic allegiance to an outdated party political system that benefits the few at the expense of the many.
03/08/2012 at 16:59 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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03/08/2012 at 16:58 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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It does not cover Warfield – What of Warfield? Are they to only look to Windsor for their NHS treatment? Should Dr Lee ignore them?
Do you not care for the health of others Winstanly? And what do you call “US” Winstanly? US, a bunch of self centred wingers’, who refuse to see beyond the end of their street?
Only by getting all the partners working together can we achieve an NHS fit for the future.
03/08/2012 at 13:29 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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The Wanless report looks at the UK as a whole and does not address the dire health provision for Bracknell and Ascot in 2012. You might like to post a link that actually works too, and perhaps draw on a publication that is a little more up-to-date (2004?).
Because there can be no answer or excuse for the high handed, and patriarchal manner in which Lee conducts himself when it comes to a key constituent concern.
Furthermore, I actually agree that Heatherwood should be sold off and a new facility should be built in Bracknell - oh, they tried that with Healthspace and then that got quietly sidelined.....at about the same time that Lee produced his fantasy hospital plans. Coincidence?
So how about it, Old Oaks - question two: Why is Phillip Lee refusing to listen to the needs and voices from the very people he represents?
He doesn't represent Slough, Maidenhead, Windsor, Reading, Wycombe, Marlow, or Wokingham - yet he's expending political energy interfering in the business of those areas when he could be doing a lot more for us.
But then maybe the reason you don't answer this is because you are too closely involved with Lee if not Lee himself. We all know he has a fondness for Finchampstead.....
03/08/2012 at 10:23 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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What he said is not possible to do; Is to have units both in Ascot and Bracknell Towns. Bracknell makes more sense, as this is where the local Centre of population is.
As it says in Lord Darzi’s reportall "local visions made the case for national action to enable local change."
There is nothing arrogant about this, it builds on the above report, and on the earlier Wanless review - "the UK will need to devote more resources to health care and that this must be matched by reform to ensure that these resources are used effectively."
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_085825 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_wanless_final.htm
02/08/2012 at 19:32 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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If he wants to see more elective care and minor treatment at local level why is he anti Healthspace and anti walk-in-clinics? He's quoted in this very paper as saying that is his position, and is a matter of record with Hansard.
Why is Phillip Lee refusing to listen to the needs and voices from the very people he represents? That means all the people of Bracknell, not just Tory voters. With his fantasy hospital he's interfering in the local provision for Wycombe, Marlow, Maidenhead, Slough, Reading, Wokingham, and Windsor, and handing down from on high a proposal that has not a shred of justification for his constituents - and he does so in a condescending, patriarchal, and arrogant manner.
02/08/2012 at 18:21 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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The point that worries me is that he is saying we will still have a minor injuries unit - is that 24/7?
Not so long ago my filling fell out, no dentists in Bracknell open to deal with, and by this time was about to tie string round door handle and hope for the best - so phoned the out of hours helpline to be told my nearest was Albert Rd Slough - great no buses running - couldn't afford a taxi = agony!
Just don't want the same to happen if we do not have facilities on our doorstep!
What Dr Lee has to consider is that if the facilities are not close then people will call an ambulance which will take up resources, if not affordable by taxi.
02/08/2012 at 15:17 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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The key feature of the new healthcare model is to provide elective care and minor treatments from the community level and all major surgery and acute care from a central, ‘hub’ hospital
As much care as possible provided in local communities closer to where people live through improved service provision and improved facilities in primary and community settings.
This means the provision of more minor treatments and outpatient appointments in community settings. One of these setting looks to be Brants Bridge in Bracknell, which is already supported by the Royal Berks. There is a lot of space here where other services could be provided. People from Bracknell Town would no longer have to trek miles to far flung hospitals.
Bracknell also has the Brigewell Centre , which was describe by Dr George Kassianos, of Ringmead Medical as: "R a hospital near home where we are very proud to have the service to our patients.
02/08/2012 at 13:17 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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02/08/2012 at 11:08 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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Dr Lee should be promoting better facilities in Bracknell. If they sold Heatherwood why not use the money to fund a hospital in Bracknell.
All the staff could then be kept.
Dr Lee just wants his name promoted for a Berkshire Hospital not a Bracknell one
At least I know that he doesn't represent us and tbh by the time all this goes through he will be long gone and known as Dr Who?
01/08/2012 at 20:59 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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