King George Hospital Review Panel presentation:

Wilson at Ilford Town Hall before entering the Panel meeting

Yesterday at 13:05 I was invited to present a case to the Independent Review Panel for King George Hospital.  My presentation talked of the history of hospital services in the Redbridge area know for its focus on it's community:

•  •Ilford Hospital Chapel founded 1145 by the Abbess of barking A hospice for 13 aged and infirm men •By 1219 lepers were being admitted.  Statutes dated 1349 made by the Bishop of London granted provision for 13 leprous brothers. •
• Ilford Isolation hospital later Chadwell Heath Hospital; opened 1829 had 100 beds providing treatment for infectious disease.  In 1945 annexe was added increasing provision of beds by 51.  There were156 beds by 1983. •
• In 1912 Ilford Emergency Hospital was built. In 1918 a maternity ward and war memorial garden was built with funds collected form local people. In 1936 by Royal Charter the hospital was registered as King Gorge V Hospital.   This was at the former King George Hospital site at Eastern Avenue.

I talked about the current provision at the new King George Hospital:

• •Opened in 1995
• •Currently has 454 beds Maternity facility, Critical care, an accident and emergency department a 24-hour Urgent Care Centre and a specialist rehabilitation services
Serving diverse population of close to 750,000 people

I talked of the changing demographics in Redbridge:

•         1800 – 10,000 people approx

•         In 1930’s around 160,000 people

•         2001 – 238,600 people in Redbridge current 254,400 est.

•         9th most diverse borough in the country.

•         41.4% BME mid-2006 est

•         7th Largest population in Greater London

•         Birth rate risen by 6.6% compared to only 3.2% for Outer London.

“The ONS projections for 2011 reveal that the population in the Southern half of the borough will outgrow the north”

I then talked about the deprivation that exists in the south of the borough

• •         Redbridge rank has declined to 143rd of 354 UK Districts with regard to deprivation

  •         3 LSOA’s in top 10% of deprivation levels

  •         Clementswood, Loxford and Valentines have a relatively high concentration of deprivation in the Borough. Most of the LSOAs in these wards are within the 40% most deprived LSOA nationally.

  •         Most of the Deprived wards in Redbridge are located in the south of the Borough

  
  

  An LSOA by the way, is a Local Super Output Area which in laymans terms describes an area with a population of 1500 people.

I then described the potential consequences of removal of A&E and Maternity using the above data for reference:

•         Ethnic Minorities and elderly more susceptible to Heart disease, diabetes.

•         Population rise has increased burden on hospitals.  A&E at Queens sent patients to King George during Christmas period.

•         Illness linked to deprivation

I expanded on the potential consequence of a large younger population and increased local Nightlife - my intent was to show a need for local A&E to deal with alcohol abuse and associated risks such as violence (stabbings with bottles in drunken brawls and domestic sitautions):

Comment taken from NHS Glasgow and Clyde:

“The main reasons for the worsening trend in alcohol problems are a mixture of increased

affordability and social acceptability of drinking to excess.  The alcohol problem is therefore – like

obesity - partly a result of greater affluence and choice.  At the same time, people in more deprived

circumstances suffer the worst damage from alcohol for reasons that are not fully understood,

but it is not just that they consume more alcohol.”

I described a news story I saw on the BBC news yesterady morning describing an increase in diabetes and the high risk associated through other complications of the ilness.  The report described lack of information with young people causing major health concerns later in life, when early intervention could reduce impact.   I explained that elderly and BME groups are more susceptible to the disease and we have both in abundance in Redbridge.  The debilitating nature of Diabetes necessitates a local A&E Facility.

“The number of people admitted into hospital due to obesity soared by 60 per cent in the last year. The figure is evenmore startling when considered in the context of the last decade, during which time it has increased by nine times. The impact of the obesity epidemic is even more serious due to the increased likelihood of overweight people developing type 2 diabetes and in the longer-term diabetes complications.”

Taken from Diabetes.co.uk Feb

I then provided evidence on the link between povery and illness and explained that although parts of the borough are very affluent, it is the chronic poverty in particular areas that highlights the need for local A&E.

The likelihood of limiting longstanding illness or disability increases as income decreases.  For example, two-fifths of all adults aged 45-64 on below-average incomes have a limiting longstanding illness or disability, one-and-a-half times the rate for those on average incomes and three times the rate for those on high incomes.  Note that the causation between limiting longstanding illness or disability and income may well run in both directions.

• Adults aged 45-64 in routine and manual occupational groups are much more likely to have a limiting long-standing illness or disability than those from non-manual groups.

Taken from the poverty site.

I ended by describing some further concerns:

•         Up to 3 buses required for journeys.

•         Lack of Redbridge Identity

•         Births on route to hospital

•         A study of mortality rates (Emergency Medicine Journal) correlated against journey times to emergency services for fatal injuries concluded:

"Increased journey distance to hospital appears to be associated with increased risk of mortality. Our data suggest that a 10-km increase in straight-line distance is associated with around a 1% absolute increase in mortality“

Isla Martin commented in Yellow Advertiser:

“When A&E facilities are local more people are likely to use their own vehicles to attend the hospital. Longer distances could result in more burden on London Ambulances, will this not reduce their effectiveness, ability to respond and reciprocally reduce the survival rates of sufferers"

I ended by presenting our 4000 signature petition amassed at our 29th July protest, which the panel acknowledged as part of the review.  They however, returned it stating if they retained the petition it could not be used elsewhere and would serve greater purpose if it was to be submitted to the Health for North London Panel.

I remind you of our protest below:

http://wilsonsthirdway.blogspot.com/2011/01/king-george-hospital-protest-29th.html