Whittington Health Consultation about the relocation of the Children's Development Centre from St Anns - online meetings and survey

  • By Brian Leveson
  • •
  • 14 Feb, 2021
  • •

Please take part in this Whittington Health consultation

Directly from the Haringey Engagement - Our Buildings website

Currently we provide some of our children’s services from St Ann’s Hospital and from Bounds Green Health Centre. We are proposing that we move services at the child Development Centre and Paediatric Assessment Unit from St Ann’s Hospital and the Children In Care Service from Bounds Green Health Centre to Tynemouth Road Health Centre.
 
The majority of our children’s services are delivered in local settings including schools, children’s centres, homes and community venues. This would not change and you should not expect where you have your appointments to change. However, we are proposing that the appointments provided at the Child Development Centre at St Ann’s Hospital move to Tynemouth Road Health Centre.

The move would involve relocating from St Ann’s Hospital the set of clinic rooms used by therapy services and community paediatrics known as the Child Development Centre and the clinic space used by the Children in Care team at Bounds Green Health Centre. In addition the office space for teams from both sites would move.

Advantages for these proposals (this is what Whittington Health say - NOT US)
• Tynemouth Road Health Centre would become the children and young people health services hub in Haringey. Tynemouth Road Health Centre is a better facility for children and families. The spaces would be specifically designed for children and young people – with service users being involved in the development stage.
• Tynemouth Road Health Centre has excellent transport links (highest rating by TfL).
• Tynemouth Road Health Centre is in the East of Haringey, which is an area of increased deprivation and where the highest proportion of under 18s live.
• A children and young people’s hub will allow healthcare professionals to work closely together as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• The move will save Whittington Health money in the long run as we own the Tynemouth Road Health Centre site and would not need to pay extra rent at St Ann’s Hospital.

Challenges (again, this is what Whittington Health say, NOT US)
• Some people may have to travel further to have their appointments.
• The air quality around Tynemouth Road Health Centre and St Ann's Hospital regularly breaches EU standards.
• Patients and service users may not want to be seen in a different location

Take Part

We believe that service users and local residents should be at the heart of our decision making — we will listen to your views and make changes based upon them.
 
The consultation is open between Wednesday 20 January and Wednesday 17 March.
 
There are several ways for you to share your views on this consultation:
 Online events
We will host three online events to discuss the proposals. The events will cover all of the proposals and offer you a chance to ask questions and feedback.
  • Wednesday 24 February 10-11am


Online via https://zoom.us/j/97003973552?pwd=dStxOU1GTWNoK0RjVGJQVTBPZUZFZz09
By telephone via 020 8080 6591

 Meeting ID: 970 0397 3552
Passcode: 436878
 
  • Saturday 27 February 10 - 11am

Meeting ID: 918 3398 0428
Passcode: 634398

Please email engagement.whitthealth@nhs.net to book your place at an event. The events will be held on Zoom, with an option to call in, details of the event will be displayed here before the events.

Online Survey - and our responses

Do you think the plans will benefit Haringey Residents?

Whittington Health have no evidence presented to support assertions about better transport links, nor the relevance of this. How do users normally get to the CDC? Do disabled users normally use public transport (bearing in mind the higher component payment for a PIP/DLA is for transport). The proposals threaten to disproportionally impact on MOST disabled and those with the most complex needs. Questions that Whittington Health need to consider within their consultation and online questionnaire are:
  • How do current users currently get to St Anns? Via Public Transport or via personal transport
  • They need to explain to us all what Tynemouth Road Health Centre has excellent transport links (highest rating by TfL) actually means 
    • What factors contribute to this rating?
    • What does this rating mean to disabled travellers?
  • What are the reasons why current users make their transport choices? 
    • For example - cannot use public transport because of disability and have a higher rate 'mobility' component?
    • What happens if we have another killer virus or we do not get a grip on Covid-19, will disabled users and their carers be likely to put themselves and their loved ones at risk on public transport - especially when disabled people are THREE times more likely to die of Covid and those with learning disabilities SIX times more likely to die.
  • What are the demographics of those who have to travel further?
    • Is one disadvantaged group further disadvantaged?
    • Will financial support be offered to attend appointments?
  • Will they make ALL THREE sites non-car sites for staff in the future to release the very few spaces for disabled users and their families? Invariably the needs of staff are put ahead of the people they serve - we have challenged this at the Vale School and it's lack of appropriate parking for disabled users and also the fact that meetings with the SEND department cannot be held late because staff have to travel home to locations 80 miles or more away (they didn't move Haringey did they?)

Do you have any concerns about the proposals?

As a frequent visitor to all three locations - St Anns, Tynemouth Rd and Bounds Green, all locations lack appropriate infrastructure for people with complex needs

  • A changing places style (but not Changing Places standard) toilet only once inside the CDC at St Anns
    • No such facility at Tynemouth Road medical centre nor Bounds Green medical centre 
    • These infrastructure improvement should be made BEFORE any change in location of the CDC
  • Inadequate parking at CDC and Tynemouth Rd, put under further pressure with the increase in 'traffic' generated by more users;
    • No proof of improved transport links - St Anns has a bus stop out side.
    • When you are disabled in any way, if you get the higher rate mobility component,  you cannot walk greater than 200m
    • Will there be adequate Blue Badge parking for the number of users? The Vale School at Lancastrians has 2 spaces for 4 classes of 8 - 10 disabled children - not exactly adequate to meet the needs of user
  • What does 'having the highest TFL rating' mean? 
    • What does 'having the highest TFL rating' mean for people with disabilities, SEND children and their families with disabilities?
  • Given the greater use of digital technology, virtual appointments and consultation via video, so staff need to be physically in the same place to create a hub? Is any of this necessary?
    • We have had ALL our appointments with Great Ormond Street Hospital, Whittington Health and out GP vie telephone and video link in the last year.
    • Why not operate this hub virtually, ie via Teams?
    • This would safe carers precious time
    • This would safe staff time
    • This would safe the organisations involved money
    • Could parent carers be offered financial and practical support to digitally accessing meetings?

Other comments

This consultation claims to have been done in consultation with Haringey Council, yet I struggle to understand why Haringey SEND have not used their database to contact all SEND families regarding this consultation - surely this invalidates the consultation, not contacting THE key user group?

Also, as Haringey SEND have told us that they will not listen to our 'DEMOGRAPHIC', so, we will not be adding those details to the form to prevent our input from being excluded from the survey results, and we strongly encourage others not to include their demographic details  as well to prevent them from being excluded from this consultation.

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