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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on June 15, 2016 at 15:42

MPs call for urgent meeting over North Middlesex A&E

Two north London MPs have called for an urgent meeting with the health secretary over fears an A&E department could close.

David Lammy and David Burrowes have asked to meet Jeremy Hunt over concerns for patient safety at North Middlesex University Hospital.

The General Medical Council is "extremely concerned" about standards of training for junior doctors.

The hospital said it has a "broad recovery plan" and safety is paramount.

It follows a story by The Guardian which alleged that inexperienced doctors have been asked to perform tasks they were not qualified to undertake.

The GMC and Health Education England (HEE) have set out a series of requirements the hospital must meet by the end of the month or postgraduate training will not be allowed to continue.

If the requirements are not met, the GMC and HEE will remove 26 junior doctors from the unit - leaving it so short-staffed it would be unable to stay open.

David Burrowes, MP for Enfield Southgate, was left to wait for 12 hours on a trolley with a ruptured appendix in the hospital in 2014. He said: "I am requesting an urgent meeting with Jeremy Hunt with local MPs.

"Sadly the warnings are not new and two years ago I saw for myself as a patient the challenges for overstretched doctors and nurses and the threats to patient safety. It would be a catastrophic failure and disgrace to lose North Middlesex A&E."

David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, said the hospital is under "tremendous pressure" after the closure of Chase Farm A&E in 2013.

"It's unclear why MPs and their constituents for hospitals serving millions of people in north London have been largely kept in the dark," he said.

"I want to know why Jeremy Hunt has done nothing about it. He needs to come to Parliament to explain what he's doing and he certainly needs to explain why patients have died.

"The hospital is in serious, serious trouble."

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC, said he expects "action on the ground" including the employment of additional senior staff.

He said: "Without adequate support and supervision there is a serious risk that patients are being put at risk."

The Care Quality Commission issued a warning notice to the hospital on 6 June that it should "significantly improve" the treatment of patients attending the emergency department.

A spokesperson from North Middlesex Hospital said claims by The Guardian that junior staff are "often" left in charge at night were "completely untrue".

The spokesperson said the hospital is working to recruit doctors from other trusts and that a new clinical director is joining the department at the end of the month.

"Middle-grade doctors will see fewer patients per hour so they have more time to spend with junior doctors," the hospital said.

The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.

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The Guardian story is at CLICK HERE

The Director of Commissioning for NMUH is  HaringeyCCG headed by  Jill Shattock mailto:Jill.Shattock@haringeyccg.nhs.uk 

Although situated in LBEnfield, Haringey CCG is the Lead Commissioner for Hospital Services.

David Lammy MP writes:

"It's unclear why MPs and their constituents for hospitals serving millions of people in north London have been largely kept in the dark," he said.

Perhaps because MPs have been too busy campaigning as part of Mayoral London election and Euro elections. The situation has been clearly signalled in both Enfield CCG and HaringeyCCG Board Papers and discussed in public session

Note that David Sloman CEO of Royal Free University has recently been nominated as Leader of a new hospital group

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on June 20, 2016 at 16:44

Biggest NHS trust rushes to aid North Middlesex University Hospital amid A&E meltdown

CLICK HERE FOR STORY from Evening Standard 16th June

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on July 8, 2016 at 14:05

The following story appears in the Enfield Advertiser. the paragraph outlined in red reports that Julie Lowe is on leave and that Libby MacManus is the interim Chief Executive from Royal Free Hospital. David Sloman from Royal Free  is the Interim Accountable Officer

A report has also appeared in the Daily Telegraph on 6th July at CLICK HERE and on the BBC at CLICK HERE

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on July 8, 2016 at 15:03

See also the report in The Guardian, 6th July

CLICK HERE

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on July 8, 2016 at 15:32

Elizabeth (Libby) MacManus was previously Chief Nurse and Interim Chief Executive at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital 

3.1 Elizabeth McManus
Libby McManus has been offered an exciting secondment at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and will be departing the Trust in early July. Whilst this is a fantastic opportunity for Libby, we will be sad to see her go as she has served the Trust well both as Chief Nurse and as Interim Chief Executive when she steered us through the acquisition process.

I would like to thank Libby for her ongoing support since I became Chief Executive last September and know that she will be missed by colleagues inside and outside of the organisation.
For the immediate period, the senior nursing leadership team will be jointly led by Vanessa Sloane and Pippa Nightingale. I will keep you updated on our longer term nursing management plans as they develop and for now know you will join me in both thanking Libby and wishing her every success and happiness in the future.

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