Michael visits SECAMB

Today, Michael visited the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB) in Paddock Wood, where he met senior management and reviewed their recent progress.

“I am glad that SECAMB is improving their response rate. It is vital that our area has quick responses, not just for emergency call-outs, but also for getting people to hospital quickly and safely. I will be following their performance closely.”

Minor Injuries Unit “Staying Put”

Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon visited Sevenoaks Hospital and its Minor Injuries Unit on Friday 22nd June.  He met duty nursing staff and senior management.  With representatives of NHS Property estates he inspected the new £500,000 upgrade of the hospital parking and drainage on both sides of the road.

 

Sir Michael said: “Sevenoaks Hospital is here to stay.  Investment on this scale shows confidence in its long-term future, especially when the Minor Injuries Unit has never been busier.  The unit is now being used by over 17,000 people a year.  Almost every family in the district must have had some-one use it recently.”

 

The West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group is holding a public meeting at the Stag Theatre at 1.30pm on Tuesday 3rd July on its ideas to adapt the hospital into a “local care hub.   Sir Michael added: “whatever they propose, we will not accept any cut in the services currently provided.”

 

Michael outside Sevenoaks Hospital with staff
Michael outside Sevenoaks Hospital with staff

Darent Valley Hospital Visit

Sir Michael last week visited Darent Valley Hospital, where he met staff and the Interim Chief Executive, Gerard Sammon.

He said: “I was pleased to visit Darent Valley Hospital and hear about how well they dealt with increasing demand in the winter months. Staff recruitment is always a challenge for the NHS but this hospital will benefit in time from Kent’s new medical school.”

NHS Re-organisation

Daily Telegraph
Here we go again. There have been rumours for weeks. Now there’s a formal invitation to be briefed on the forthcoming “strategic” merger of Kent’s NHS “commissioning groups”.

In 21 years as Sevenoaks MP I’ve known one constant – endless NHS re-organisation. When I arrived in 1996 there was just one District Health Authority. This was then split into a new West Kent health authority and several GP fundholding practices. In 1999 these were merged into the Sevenoaks and Tonbridge Primary Group. In 2002 this became the West Kent Primary Care Trust. In 2006 this Trust was merged again, with two neighbouring Primary Care Trusts to form the North West Kent Primary Care Trust.

Then came the Lansley reforms. His massive Bill, burning up hours of parliamentary time and much coalition political capital, swept away the Primary Care Trusts, on which GPs were already represented, and replaced them with Commissioning Groups (on which more GPs were represented). Our West Kent Commissioning Group took effect in 2013.

Now its days, too, look numbered. A statement last month suggests each of Kent’s eight Commissioning Groups will now be brought together to form “a single strategic commissioning function”. Our commissioners have explained: “it has become clear to us collectively that there is a need for some aspects of the commissioning of NHS care to be more joined-up.” So new notepaper, new senior posts, yet more change.

That’s only part of the ever-changing NHS mosaic. Higher up, the South East Thames Regional Health Authority became the South Thames Regional Health Authority in 1994. In 2002 this was split into smaller “strategic” health authorities, in our case the Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority. In 2006 this was enlarged to become the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority. In October 2011 that merged with two neighbouring strategic health authorities to become the South Coast Strategic Health Authority. Just 18 months later it was abolished altogether.

Beyond primary care, the same upheaval. Mental health and community services were originally provided to Sevenoaks by the District Health Authority. In 1997 mental health services were transferred to a new Invicta Community Trust. In 2002 Invicta merged with the Thames Gateway Community Trust to form the West Kent NHS and Social Care Trust. Four years later the West Kent and East Kent NHS and Social Care Trusts came together to form the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.

Meanwhile other community services moved in 2009 from the Invicta and Thames Gateway Trusts to West Kent Community Health, which in 2011 merged with East Kent and Coastal Kent Community Services NHS Trust to form Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust. Ambulance services were run by Kent Ambulance Service: in 2006 this merged with the Surrey and Sussex Ambulance Services to form the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
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In the midst of this bureaucratic turmoil survives Sevenoaks Hospital, founded in 1870. But its day-to-day operations are becoming increasingly complex. Since 1997, it’s been owned by Invicta Trust, by the West Kent Primary Care Trust and by NHS Estates. Now owned by NHS Property, it’s run by Kent Community Health NHS Trust, with clinics run by various NHS organisations – even some from Sussex.

I make that at least 19 different bodies that have been “running” the NHS in Sevenoaks, almost one for every year I’ve been its MP. All these changes have been accompanied by hopeful PR, promising better patient service. But each has involved more cost and more management time which could be better spent on patients. So much change erodes public confidence: nobody really knows who is responsible for what.

Ever-changing bureaucracies undermine local institutions and affections. In twenty-five years we’ve moved from local to district, from strategic to local, and now back up to county again. Who can be sure of the right level at which to allocate resources and prioritise services when there’s nobody in charge long enough.

The damage isn’t just to patients and the public but to front-line staff. It is our hard-pressed nurses and doctors who have to re-adjust their reporting procedures, to cope with fresh layers of bogus accountability, to learn the latest jargon of the newly merged. This isn’t why they joined. And we don’t need more of it. After serving as a surgeon in the Second World War my father joined the NHS as it began: in 25 years he dealt only with a single regional hospital board. Are we really better served now ?

There are now 32,000 senior managers in the NHS, paid over £65,000 a year: 7 per cent up on a year ago. Remember the empty St Edward’s hospital in Yes, Minister – the best-run hospital in the country, but which had no patients. If we’re serious about putting patients before paperwork, it’s time we stopped endlessly re-organising the NHS.

Local MP Joins Kent Campaign for New Medical School

Michael has signed a joint letter by 16 MPs across Kent to support the bid from Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent to establish a medical school in the Kent and Medway area.

As Christmas approaches, local health services are preparing for the challenges the winter period brings. Having discussed these challenges with many NHS and health organisations, Michael is aware that one of the main reasons local providers struggle is because they cannot recruit enough doctors.

Kent is one of the largest areas in the UK without a medical school. The letter therefore raises awareness of issues surrounding recruitment in the health sector. It also outlines the benefits a medical school would bring to the region, such as improving local people’s access to high quality healthcare.

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The group of MPs add that a local medical school will attract newly qualified and senior doctors, thereby improving health outcomes for patients in Kent:

‘We face serious health inequalities across Kent & Medway, with life expectancy for males up to eight years lower in the most deprived areas […] we firmly believe that a medical school would be transformative for our local health services.’

Fallon Calls for Fairer Economy

Michael called for a ‘fairer economy’ from the backbenches in the debate on the Autumn Budget yesterday.

The local MP welcomed a range of measures from the Chancellor, supporting longer-term and additional money for the NHS.

He called for further action in four specific areas:

First, he argued that the National Insurance threshold should be raised in line with the income tax one. He pointed out that some low paid workers are paying as much in NI contributions as they are income tax.

Second, he highlighted the need for companies like Amazon and Google to pay their share of rates and tax, asserting that Britain ‘shouldn’t have different economies for the big and the small.’

Third, he pointed out that when Margaret Thatcher left government in 1990, 11 million people owned shares. Today, however, only 8 million do. He called for tax breaks for companies that offer free shares to employees and for discounted shares to be offered to the public when the government’s stake in RBS is sold off.

Finally, the Sevenoaks MP advocated a more vigorous push from Government for exports, noting, ‘outside the Single Market, we’re going to live and die by what we sell’.

‘A fairer economy, much wider employee share ownership, exporting at the heart of every government industrial policy, these are some of the steps towards our new economic future’, Michael suggested.  ‘Muddling along, mere managerialism will not be enough.’

Concluding his speech, Michael added: ‘Brexit Britain requires a bigger vision, more confident, outward-looking, self-rewarding.  Let’s build on this Budget to enable Britain to be bolder still.’

Michael Opens New Wound Centre

Michael has officially opened a new specialist wound centre at Sevenoaks Hospital.

The new centre, which has been operational since May, is staffed by advanced wound nurses supported by tissue viability specialist nurses. The clinic means patients in Sevenoaks with a chronic, complex or surgical wound now have access to specialist care.

As part of his official duties, Michael was given a tour of the centre. He was joined by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Executive, Paul Bentley, and Chairman, David Griffiths, as well as dozens of guests.

Michael spoke to some of the patients on his tour. One patient, Monica Wain (90) from Sevenoaks said: ‘[The staff] really know what they are doing here and in two months they healed my wounds. It’s marvellous.’

The clinic is piloting an innovative new wound-monitoring app, WoundMatrix, that supports clinicians to heal wounds and pressure ulcers faster in the centre, which Michael was keen to inspect.

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He said: ‘This new centre is an important addition to our local health services because treating wounds requires specialist ongoing care. Its unique state-of-the-art equipment helps keep Sevenoaks one step ahead in the services it provides.’

Spotting Invisible Wounds

‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’

A saying that dates back to 1862, passed down through the generations; it embodies those British stereotypes of supressing emotions and stiffening the upper-lip.

Yet old adages contain old ideas, and such sayings standardise a stigma that we now need to move beyond: how we speak about mental health problems.

World Mental Health Day on Tuesday reminded us that 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children are affected by mental illnesses. The majority do not speak up and do not seek help.

By changing the way we discuss mental illnesses, we can start to provide people the support they need.

That’s why I am proud of this Government’s record investment in mental healthcare; mental and physical health now have parity in law.

Last week, the Prime Minister announced a review of the Mental Health Act to tackle longstanding injustices in our mental health system. It’s about helping some of the most vulnerable in society.

It’s also about relieving our straining public services. The NHS’s challenge with mental illnesses is marked by a 43 per cent increase in detainments within the past decade alone. Around 40 per cent of police business in Kent is concerned with mental health problems.
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To deal with this, we’ve increased the number of psychiatric consultants and we’ve taken steps to ensure that many thousands more young people will receive the right treatment at the right time by 2020.

Compared to 2010, 40 per cent more people access mental health services every day. The number of mental health patients being held inappropriately in police cells is also down by 80 per cent over the same period.

We’re lucky that West Kent MIND, which has provided vital support for years, is based in Sevenoaks. On Tuesday, they held training sessions for schools and businesses to facilitate workplace wellbeing. On Sunday, they’ll host a fun run in Knole Park to raise further awareness.

Tomorrow, I will visit Sevenoaks Hospital to open the new Wound Centre. But I will remember those wounds that are often just as serious: the ones we cannot see.

Column: Building On Our Achievements In 2017

In his latest column for the Sevenoaks Chronicle, Michael has written about the need to build on Sevenoaks’ progress this year:

2016 was a very successful year for Sevenoaks. In an unsettled year nationally, our local economy remained strong, with unemployment falling to another record low.

Though there will be challenges, I believe 2017 could be even better.

After so many years of campaigning, in September our new grammar school annexe will finally open. I visited the site just before Christmas and I could already see that it will be a great addition to the remarkable range of high-quality school choice that is now on offer in Sevenoaks. There is still more to do to secure grammar provision for boys, though, and that will be one of my top priorities this year.

Meanwhile, discussions on the new rail franchise will be a great opportunity to lobby for the extension of the Oyster network and the many other rail improvements we want to see. I look forward to continuing to make the case for passengers this year.

With an ageing population increasing pressure on the NHS and our care system, we need to continue to protect Sevenoaks Hospital. It is a much-loved feature of our town – but it also has an important role to play in relieving pressure on facilities at Pembury and Darent Valley. Carrying on making that argument will be vital this year.

Finally, we need to make sure the District Council develops a robust and reasonable Local Plan that will give us the homes we need without encouraging inappropriate development in our town and in our villages in the years to come.

With all of these priorities and more, I am looking forward to continuing to represent Sevenoaks this year. After a successful 2016, let’s build on our achievements in 2017

Column: We’ve Beaten Mental Health Stigma – Now Let’s Finish the Job

In his latest column for the Sevenoaks Chronicle, Michael has written about the challenge of mental health:

For too long, mental health was a taboo subject.  But with MPs and celebrities speaking out about their own experiences, much of the stigma that used to be associated with mental illness has gone.

In its place, though, is a realisation of how significant this challenge is for our country.  One in four people experience a mental health problem each year, with myriad effects on their families, jobs and lives.

We have made a lot of progress already.  Mental health now has parity of esteem with physical health in the NHS; five times more people are accessing treatment for conditions like depression and anxiety than six years ago; and extra funding is being invested in mental healthcare over the next few years.

But more money and warm words need to mean something practical.  That means coming up with innovative and wide-ranging ways to make sure people get the help they need.

I have recently been meeting local organisations to discuss their efforts to meet this challenge.  Their work includes better liaison services in A&E, provided by Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT).  Another improvement is cooperation between KMPT and Kent Police to give people the care they need, rather than a night in a cell because there is nowhere else to go.  West Kent Mind has always offered a fantastic service to our community that I have been proud to support.  Now it is also providing counsellors, alongside KMPT, to talk to vulnerable callers to the emergency services.

There is still a lot more to do.  People need to be able to find help more easily and the system needs to be simpler.

But with these organisations working together to find the innovative solutions we need, this is a challenge we can beat.