Tameside Hospital Meeting
Thursday evening saw a trip to Glossop to attend a meeting organised
by Tameside Hospital for local residents to hear about developments at
the Hospital and put their questions and concerns to the Hospital.
Around 35 people took the opportunity including the Glossop based chair
of the Tameside and Glossop Primary Care Trust who's trust accounts
for 88% of the Hospitals income (according to the Hospitals annual
report for 2007/8)
The meeting started off with the introduction of the panel which
including the chair of the hospitals board Tim Presswood, the
hospitals chief executive Christine Green, Philip Dylak executive
director of nursing along with the two public members from Glossopdale
who are on the council of members Barbara Whitley and Gwyneth Francis.
An introduction followed with a general overview of how things are set
up since the hospital became a foundation trust which allows people to
join with so far 719 people from the Glossopdale area choosing to join
up.
The current overall aim of the hospital at the moment is making local
residents and in particular Glossopdale local residents pick Tameside.
Hospital as there Hospital of Choice, and that in order for people to
do this the hospital has been concentrating on ensuring they have the
highest clinical standards, improved dignity and respect management,
along with the highest standards of patient safety and when finished
all the benefits of what will almost be a new site with the extensive
building program that is currently going on at the site.
The introduction also highlighted the ways that people can look to get
involved in the work of the hospital from the basic of just joining
the trust to becoming involved and standing for the board of governors
to getting involved with range of 'user groups' that are run by the
hospital to get the publics input and involvement in how the hospital
works.
The meeting then moved on to questions and answers with the questions
from locals covering problems with delays in treatment and problems
with care after an operation, along with a few concerns over care of
elderly patients as well as a number of compliments on the services of
the hospital from past patients.
As you would expect the hospital responded that in the case of the
problems raised process and procedures have been changed and improved
with some particular work been done to improve the follow up process
for patients who have had orthopaedic surgery.
The meeting was then bought to a close after just under an hour even
though I thought there may have been a few more questions from the
audience including my own !
My own questions however were picked up by the hospitals chief
executive Christine Green who had noticed me waiting to ask a question, my
first question was around the shared job role that she has been doing with
her also been chief executive at another hospital in Yorkshire, which
although coming to an end shortly has according to the chief executive been
of benefit to both hospital's.
The second was around improving public transport links to the hospital from
Glossopdale, because whilst work is been done to improve parking and road
access to the hospital as part of the building works, very little is flagged
up in the details on the building improvement on public transport. Whilst
there was no definite answer from the chief executive there was an assurance
that this was been looked at, and it may well be that solutions such as the
bus route established last year by the hospital in partnership with others
to improve access from the Houghton Green area of Tameside.
All in all a useful meeting, which if repeated in the future I'm sure would
attract if not more at least the same number of people, don't forget if you'
re not one of the 719 Glossopdale residents who have joined so far you can
join the Hospital as a member even if you don't necessarily want to get
involved in doing much, at the basic level you would receive information and
news on the hospital along with an opportunity to vote or take part in the
elections for council of members.
To join go online to
www.tamesidehospital.nhs.uk/pages/foundationtrustapplicationform.asp or
contact the membership office on 0161 922 4157 or pick up a form the GRA
Office (or let me know and I can pass you a form).