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I wwas pretty staggered to read this in today's Islington Gazette: http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsislg&itemid=WeED19 Nov 2009 11:16:17:840
Essentially NHS London seem to be saying that although it is Government policy that the Whittington shuld have an Accident & Emergency unit, local NHS bureaucrats want to "test" whether or not to get rid of it.
I think it would be scaremongering to say there is currently a plan to close Whittigton A&E, but it's future seems to be uncertain.
LIke lots of other local people I owe an awful lot to the Whittington and NHS London will close its A&E department over my dead body. I hope you feel the same.
I'll keep SG.org updated if i learn anything more. -
It seems bonkers.
Just out of interest, if it did close where is the next nearest A&E? -
Nearest A&E = bleeding to death. Alternatively, Euston.
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This has been on the cards for a while from what I have heard from people who work at the Whit. The guy who used to run the Whit got the top job at the Free earlier this year. The Free is a lot bigger than the Whit and I think has better reputation in the “industry” so will win out on all this when it come to who runs who. A&E at the Free would be very difficult to get to Train from Crouch Hill, Change at Gospel Oak then to Hampstead. A&E should definitely NOT close it would be madness !
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Train from Crouch Hill?
Surely if its A&E you need, an ambo or failing that a taxi?? -
Is Whittigton any good? Nearest A&E isn't necessarily best. A friend's husband almost died a few months ago at their local A&E (can't remember which one, but it was somewhere in Finchley) because they didn't have the right equipment. His wife had to take him to another hospital in a cab because they couldn't treat him and refused to transfer him in an ambulance (or maybe didn't have one to spare).
Unaesthetic and I are both registered at a doctor's in Holborn so our "local" hospital is UCH. We've been to their A&E once, and have seen a couple consultants. I can't think of a single complaint. If I ever have a true emergency, I want to be taken to UCH.
The only other London hospital I have experience with is Homerton. The consultant I saw there was fantastic, but the rest of the hospital was very unpleasant. It reminded me of an asylum. -
I've only been to the Whittington once and was seen very promptly by a very good doctor. Although he did look spookily similar to Doogie Howser.
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Not all A&E patients are taken in by ambulance. For example, my partner was given an emergency referral from his GP (on SGR) in August because he had a suspected blood clot. We made our own way there on the 210. The staff were great and we had no complaints but the long wait we experienced as a non-urgent case does make me wonder what waiting times would end up like if the workload from the Whittington was transferred elsewhere.
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There will be a Save the Whittington public meeting on Wednesday 9th December at Archway Methodist Church, Archway Close, London N19 3TD from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
The meeting has been called by Jeremy Corbyn MP and I think someone from NHS Islington will be there to explain how they will reach a decision on the Whittington's future.
Anyone who wants to sign a petition to NHS Islington, or want to find out more info should have a look at: http://www.savethewhittington.org.uk -
We had to go to Whit A&E last Sunday evening, there was no drinking water and I was told to "go to Macdonalds and buy some", the sweet vending machines were switched of. The public information screens, showing waiting time and list had crashed. All in all not a good experience waiting to be seen. The nurses were good, though.
if we save it, it needs to be improved.
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Whittington A&E is rubbish. The Whittington is rubbish full stop.
I was born there. -
The Whittington is most certainly not rubbish. And no, I don't work there, I've just spent a lot of time there over the past year for various reasons and the staff, on the whole, do an excellent job.
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I can only speak of my own personal experiences there, and I found it invariably rubbish. I talking of things like spending 4 hours in A&E with a friend who'd broken his wrist before seeing anyone. Eventually he sees a nurse who says it's probably not broken but that he'll have to wait another four hours before he can see a doctor. It was broken.
Or when my elderly father was kept in overnight after a hernia operation and they forgot to offer him any food.
And some other stuff...
The North Middlesex is even worse. They killed my uncle.
UCH is rather nice. -
The Royal Free is good too.
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I was in there for months. Subsequently my daughter was in the prem baby unit for 4 weeks. I can't speak highly enough of the place. The wraparound stuff can be a bit crappy, but the clinical side has been faultless. I had a week or two in the middle in UCH. Apart from a couple of brilliant nurses, it was hopeless. Put on a post natal ward when I was facing a very likely scenario of a miscarriage. They failed to pick up on a urinary tract infection for days, shrugging it off as a bug I'd caught from my young son - not good at 26 weeks.
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With an organisation as large as a hospital, I suppose the customer experience is always likely to be a bit of a lottery, depending on who you get looking after you and whether they're having a good day, except for North Middlesex which is just a massive shithole and should be pulled down and replaced with luxury flats.
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I've been to A&E there twice in the last year and both times was in and out within 2/3 hours and was well looked after. Would be a huge loss if it were to shut down.
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I read this on Saturday and thought it may be on interest. Loads of people made comments so looks like this subject is very close to people and hopefully the NHS will listen. Then again, what am I thinking....they wont. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/29/hands-off-accident-emergency-department
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