DEFEND THE WHITTINGTON HOSPITAL COALITION

Planning meeting

Monday 4^th November at Archway Methodist Hall. 700 pm

Agenda

1. Introductions and apologies
2. Minutes from meeting of 7^th October and matters arising
3. Report from Peoples Inquiry on 1^st November
4. Future activities – including Bonfire Against Austerity on 5^th November
5. Mental Health campaign
6. Other Campaigns
7. AOB

Planning Meeting Minutes

Monday 7^th October 2013

Apologies

Mick G, Gary H, Valerie L, Tony M

Minutes of last meeting

Approved

Public Meeting

• Over 80 people attended public meeting at Archway Hall 19^th September, with speakers, including Dr Jacky Davis, Whittington consultant and Dr Louise Irvine, ‘Save Lewisham Hospital’ campaign, and Robert Aitken, Whittington Health Board Acting Chair and Dr Martin Kuper, Medical Director.
• Questions raised at meeting related to lack of trust in Board due to conflicting information and lack of transparency, eg at least 100 hospital jobs already lost, hidden in statistics, with conflicting figures of numbers of beds, and previous confirmation no bed losses emerging as untrue. Board conceded during meeting there have been bed losses, and declared unable to rule out further losses in future.

Manchester March Against Austerity, Tory Conference, 29^th September

• Members of group marched with DWHC banner, huge numbers, possibly 200,000 or more, in largest ever recorded demonstration in the North West. March dominated by ‘Save Our NHS’ presence. Chaos with coaches parking and picking up due to such huge numbers that police had not accounted for.

General

• Discussion of responses to DWHC questions previously put to the Board. Board state Ernst and Young paid £470,000, whilst PR shows cost £170,000. Discussion of this waste of money, with emphasis that figures exclude over £1 million paid to Unipart.
• SF confirmed DWHC’s limitations in supporting specific groups of workers within the hospital, and clarified full support for unions in taking action to protect hospital jobs and services. Following Jeremy Hunt’s refusal to allow 1% payrise for healthworkers, DWHC supports union action, including stike.
• SF outlined improvement in relationship and communication with Board since Joe Liddane’s departure. Discussed email received by DWHC suggesting campaign did not emphasise Joe Liddane’s sudden departure, eg at what cost, how much was he paid as Chair, for how many hours, and was he paid off?  And why is the Chief Executive still there. What role did she play in the debacle?
• Discussion of concerns in cuts in ongoing social care, and recent media reports of totally inadequate 15 minute care visits. Suggestion made that members get elected to Board, SF clarified that Governors are appointed and Board members are appointed not elected. Whilst members could be elected as Governors they have almost no power or influence, eg were not aware of the sell-off until read it in media. Suggestion made to encourage DWHC members via emails to seek election as Governors.

ACTION: JL to email BR copy of Board questions and answers.

Foundation Trust application

• Final submittance date now put back to Dec 2014 for all FT applications. PR confirmed will attend next Board meeting 23^rd October, and will ask Board for expected submittance date.
• SF emphasised concerns at hospital’s dependence on winning bids for community care, and on early discharge. Possibility that Whittington might merge with UCLH or Royal Free if FT application fails. BR stated not merger but acquisition, general agreement would be similar to free school takeover.

Chase Farm

• BR, ‘Save Chase Farm’ campaign and NE London Council of Action, updated on campaign and call for Judicial Review, full support expected from council for legal challenge of the closure. DWHC expressed full support to Chase Farm campaign, and general acknowledgment Chase Farm closure mooted as alternative to closure of Whittington A&E throughout DWHC’s A&E campaign. BR described court already ruled police were wrong to evict occupation at hospital following demonstration in February.
• Planned demonstartaion for 26^th October

ACTION: BR to email DWHC Chase Farm leaflet to put on website.

Website

• Thanks expressed to TM for all his excellent work maintaining and updating the website.
• Encouragement given to people to utilise the comments pages as a forum to generate discussion, also Facebook and Twitter.

Events coming up

• Demonstration ‘Cancel the PFI debt: defend our jobs and services’, Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, Tuesday 8^th October, 5pm

• Protest against Gagging Law, day of vote, Tuesday 8^th October, midday, Parliament Square

• Workshop: ‘How do we save the NHS’, Unite the Resistance, 19^th October, 12 noon, Bloomsbury Baptist Church, Shaftsbury Avenue

• Whittington Health Board Meeting, Wed 23^rd October, 2-5pm, Education Centre, Room 6, Whittington Hospital

• Whipps Cross Hospital Public Meeting, Wed 23^rd October, 7pm, Leytonstone School, James Lane, regarding job cuts and sacking of whistleblower

• North London People’s Assembly Meeting, Saturday 26^th October, from 10am, Haringey Cypriot Community Centre, Earlham Grove, Wood Green, speakers include Tony Benn, Owen Jones, Ken Livingstone, SF for DWHC

• People’s Inquiry: London’s NHS, Friday 1^st November 2013, 2-7pm, Archway Methodist Hall, panel including Roy Lilley, Polly Toynbee and opportunity to present oral testimony. Part of a London-wide series of public hearings collating evidence on the NHS.

• Day of Health Workshops, Saturday 2^nd November, 11-4pm, North London Community House,  22 Moorefield Road    N17 6PY, organised by Haringey 38 degrees

• Islington Left Unity meeting: NHS privatisation, Tuesday 15^th October, 7pm, Old Fire sTation, Mayton St. No-one currently available from DWHC to speak

• Whittington Patients Consultative Meeting, 5^th December

AOB

• PR described attempts to resolve difficulties with Archway Co-op not displaying DWHC literature, JL described similar problems and no community board, despite recent upgrading of store. PR confirmed will be attending next South Eastern Co-operative meeting and will pose questions to try to resolve in accordance with the Co-op’s established commitment to supporting community groups.

The meeting closed. Next meeting Monday 4^th November, 7-9pm, Archway Methodist Church