Care for patients before profits

CARE UK recently announced their acquisition of healthcare provider Harmoni UK, which delivers out-of-hours GP services and NHS 111 telephone services in Hillingdon, and operates the Urgent Care Centre at Hillingdon Hospital.

This acquisition raises several concerns for Hillingdon LINk, as there is significant evidence in reports made by the Care Quality Commission of inherent problems with the standards of care provided to patients, inadequate staffing levels, high reliance on partly trained staff and the quality of management in a number of services run by Care UK.

The £48million purchase by Care UK adds to their already large borrowing and £480m debt. In light of last year’s collapse and demise of Southern Cross, the huge anxiety this caused and the continued effect it still has upon thousands of elderly residents and their families, we feel it is in the public’s best interest that this transaction is financially scrutinised and checks and balances put in place to ensure that this cannot be repeated again in Hillingdon.

The NHS is presently facing major financial pressures, and in Hillingdon the deficit this year is likely to be around £20m. With further savings expected to be sought of £55m over the next three years, we fear that there is a real risk to patient safety and the continuity of care.

Care UK is paid huge amounts of public money to provide services, and our concern is that if they are to make a profit in order to satisfy their shareholders, standards of care may be compromised.

We would urge commissioners to put appropriate contractual measures in place to safeguard against this.

Hillingdon LINk sincerely hope that our fears do not materialise and that commissioners put measures in place to protect the general public of Hillingdon, and that Care UK will seriously look at maintaining and improving upon the quality of services provided by Harmoni in Hillingdon, rather than concentrating on bottom-line profit.

TREVOR BEGG

Interim chairman

Hillingdon LINk

Via email

Support chimes well for charity

THE borough’s local Marie Curie Cancer Care group was fundraising in The Chimes Shopping Centre last Sunday, and I should like to express my heartfelt thanks to the centre’s shoppers.

Thanks to their magnificent generosity we raised £948.55 from their donations.

I should also like to thank Santander bank for very kindly agreeing to match this amount and thereby doubling it. As a charity, Marie Curie Cancer Care really does rely on such wonderful kindness.

These vital funds will help Marie Curie Nurses to provide free, high quality care to terminally ill people choosing to die at home, the place where they feel most comfortable, rather than in hospital.

Marie Curie Nurses also offer comfort and reassurance to families.

Just by being there, the charity’s nurses make it possible for terminally ill patients to spend precious time with their families and loved ones, and on their behalf I should also like to say thank you.

I should also like to thank Jas Reehal, assistant marketing manager at The Chimes, for making it possible for us to fundraise in the shopping centre, as well as Hillingdon Choral Society for performing in support of our efforts, and Christ Church, for allowing us to use the church as our base.

Lastly, I should like to thank all the volunteers who gave up their time to help fundraise.

Visit www.mariecurie.org.uk to find out more about Marie Curie Cancer Care.

TONY NEWMAN

Chairman, Hillingdon’s Marie Curie Cancer Care Volunteer fundraising group

Via email

Can you help with heritage project?

I AM planning a community heritage project, and a funding application to support it, for Northwood Community Arts (NCA), and am currently researching for funding and planning purposes.

The proposed new community project is based around the use of St John’s Church in Hallowell Road, Northwood, which is the NCA base and venue for activities, and which was a First World War auxiliary hospital between 1914 and 1917.

It would be very helpful to know if there is archived material available that you may have stored away and people that you may know with stories to share.

If there is not enough information initially available it may not be a viable project!

I would be happy to meet or talk on the phone with anyone, to explain the proposed project in more detail and learn what, if any, information might be available for use in this exciting project.

JOY TRACY

ArtReach project manager

Northwood Community Arts

St John’s Church

Hallowell Road

Northwood

THE GAZETTE TRIED TO CONTACT CARE UK SEVERAL TIMES FOR A COMMENT, WITHOUT SUCCESS.

Help us get to root of female homeless

YOUR readers may have read recently about increases in homelessness across the UK.

What they may not know is that women make up more than half of those living in temporary accommodation and that, in London alone, one in 10 people who sleep on the streets is a women.

Women who end up sleeping rough often have a complex mix of problems.

As a homelessness charity, we at St Mungo’s have learnt from women more about what led to their homelessness. For instance, more than a third of our women clients who have slept rough tell us they became homeless because of domestic abuse.

Others have a history of being in care, of family relationships that have broken down, of losing contact with their children or of poor mental health, drug or alcohol use.

We are looking to improve our own housing and support services for women but, because the problems are complicated, we want to hear from others as well about what works – not least women who have themselves been homeless and what made a difference to them.

That’s why we’re asking people and organisations in your region to join our new 18-month campaign, Rebuilding Shattered Lives, so we can get the right help to women when they need it to enable them to recover and successfully move on with their lives.

Please do join our campaign at www.rebuildingshatteredlives.org.

ESTHER SAMPLE

St Mungo’s Women’s Strategy Co-ordinator

Via email

More research needed on cancer

MY MUM, MARGARET DRUMMOND, WAS DIAGNOSED WITH TERMINAL PANCREATIC CANCER ON HER 62ND BIRTHDAY. SHE BRAVELY FOUGHT IT FOR 10 MONTHS AND PASSED AWAY ON AUGUST 6, 2012.

MUM, ALTHOUGH ORIGINALLY FROM