Who gives a monkey's

[Blackpool]

Just to say over the weekend i have e-mailed all blackpool local M.Ps radio stations and natianal newspapers, Radio Lancashire are doing a interview this afternoon to go on air later today..Still no reply from NHS OR Mr Roy Mail Cheif Executive of Blackpool Hospital..

 

Many Many thanks to all posters on this issue, for kind words and advice, The wife hope's you all catch big fish this week.

 

[ 21. June 2004, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: Blackpool ]

[rickster]

i think i managed to jam the phone lines at 1pm today, i had about 80% of the call centre where i work phoning all the nhs directors a few mps and things like that.

 

Best of luck

[wearyone]

My heart goes out to you and your family.

I would have thought that in situation like this time is of the essence. Surely the scanner cant be in use 24/7.

 

I was booked to have a MRI scan, although my condition is not life threatening, it is very disablimg. That was at the end of March; I contacted the hospital to-day and was told there is a 6 to 10 months wait, although like Blackpool, this state of the art hospital takes cases referred from local veterinary practices. Looks like they put a greater value on pets than on human beings these days.

Incidentally, again at Blackpool, my son's partner suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 22. The ambulance took 55 minutes to travel from Blackpool to the north side of St Annes.

That was in 1998, he still has not got over the trauma of trying to revive her whilst waiting for the medics to arrive.

[rickster]

Any update yet

[Alan Taylor]

You must all be going through hell. We hope that things improve, hang in there mate.

 

 

Sorry but I don't have the words to express how we feel

 

Alan & Sonja

[nursejudy]

Any news or chance of an update after all that lobbying!!!!

judith

[nursejudy]

Taken from BBC news web page.

Last Updated: Friday, 9 July, 2004, 13:23 GMT 14:23 UK

 

E-mail this to a friend Printable version

 

NHS scans 'to be sent abroad'

 

 

The deal aims to cut waits for MRI scans

NHS patients with serious health problems could soon be diagnosed by doctors thousands of miles away.

A company hired by the government to carry out extra MRI scans says it is planning to send some images abroad to be analysed.

 

MRI scans are used to diagnose a range of health problems, ranging from cancer to headaches.

 

The move by Alliance Medical could see doctors in places like Belgium or the United States diagnosing NHS patients.

 

The Department of Health announced in June that Alliance Medical had won a contract to carry out 120,000 extra scans a year for the NHS.

 

Ministers hope the move will help to tackle long waits for MRI scans in some parts of the country.

 

Sending MRI scans to Belgium for analysis will increase short term capacity

 

Spokesman,

Department of Health

As part of the deal, Alliance Medical is not allowed to use NHS staff to carry out or analyse the scans.

 

"The contract is designed to boost capacity in the NHS," said the company's medical director Dr Andy Dun.

 

Sending abroad

 

However, the shortage of radiologists in the UK means the company must either recruit these doctors from abroad or send patients or images abroad.

 

The company has decided to send some of the scans abroad to be analysed.

 

"We are in negotiations at the moment. We are hoping to complete them in the next few days," Dr Dun told BBC News Online.

 

Under the plans, the images will be sent by secure e-mail to doctors both in and outside the UK.

 

"These images can be sent securely to anywhere in the world," said Dr Dun.

 

"They can be sent to our head office in Banbury, elsewhere in the UK or to the United States or Belgium.

 

"It can be done in real time. They can be viewed while patients are being scanned."

 

The radiologists will then send a report and their diagnosis to doctors in the NHS.

 

'Concerned'

 

However, Dr Anne Thorpe, a member of the British Medical Association's consultants committee, expressed concern with the move.

 

"I would be concerned that these doctors do not know the patients' backgrounds," she told BBC News Online.

 

"They may be liable to generate long descriptive reports. It could lead to unnecessary interventions."

 

But the Department of Health backed the scheme.

 

"Sending MRI scans to Belgium for analysis will increase short term capacity," said a spokesman.

 

"All radiologists will be on the specialist register of the General Medical Council for their speciality even if located outside of England."

 

It comes as the Department of Health denied claims that it was planning to send patients' blood and urine samples to India to be tested.

 

A report in The Guardian said ministers were considering the move as part of efforts to save the NHS money.

 

A spokesman said: "The Department of Health is not in talks with any company about outsourcing pathology services to India."

 

But he added: "We are exploring a number of options for independent sector involvement in diagnostics.

 

Harpal Singh, chairman of Indian pharmaceutical firm SRL Ranbaxy, told the BBC's Hindi Service he had preliminary talks with the UK government on this issue last year.

 

However, he said the company had not struck any deal to analyse samples for the NHS.

 

[ 10. July 2004, 12:28 PM: Message edited by: nursejudy ]

[kleinboet]

nursejudy - don't you think that Mr.Mail could be "done" for deliberately witholding N.H.S. equipment, which in turn is now going to force them to use other countries. Must be worth a try. It would cost him his job if nothing else.

[Blackpool]

UPDATE ON WHO GIVES A MONKEY’S

 

Since posting this topic we have lobbied and petitioned a vast No of MPs including The Secretery of state for Health, Mr Roy Male The Chief Executive at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Mr Tony Blair P.M, Mr Michael Howard Conservative Leader, & 29 Local MPs,

 

Also a article was run by the local newspaper on the issue that children are vetoed from using the local M.R.I Scanner unit, BBC Radio Lancashire placed this issue on the news and after this we started to get response from the powers that be,

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: HOWARD, Michael [mailto:HOWARDM@parliament.uk]

Sent: 01 July 2004 15:41

 

Subject: From the Office of the Leader of the Opposition

 

 

Michael Howard has asked me to thank you so much for your recent letter and

reply on his behalf.

 

He appreciates you bringing the information you wrote of in your e-mail to

his attention and has carefully noted your comments.

 

Thank you for writing on this important issue.

 

Best wishes,

 

Ian Philps

Office of the Leader of the Opposition

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: (Cllr) Michael Carr [mailto:cllr.michael.carr@blackpool.gov.uk]

Sent: 24 June 2004 15:33

 

Subject: mri scan

 

 

Regarding the e mail you sent to all our members,as I am a non executive director of the Hospitals Trust the Council Leader has asked me to reply to you on his behalf.In doing so I refer you to the letter Roy Male our Ch Executive has sent to you,I think it fully explains the situation & I can not add any more to that.Hope everything goes alright for you.

Email Disclaimer is:

http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/democracy/corp...lDisclaimer.htm

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Jon Bamborough [mailto:j.bamborough@btinternet.com]

Sent: 21 June 2004 22:51

 

Subject: Re: who gives a monkey's

 

 

Hi Mr Taylor,

 

Firstly I am sorry to hear about your son Jack. I too was unaware of the hospitals policy on the use of the scanner. I will be contacting the trust asking for clarification of this policy. Thousands of local residents have donated money to the scanner appeal. I am not sure they would have been so ready to donate had they been aware of this policy!! I hope Jack gets his scan soon and that his condition is treatable.

 

regards,

 

Cllr. Jon Bamborough

 

 

Dear Mr. Taylor, I can imagine what a terrible time you are going through.I cannot understand why the hospital would not do the M.M.I Scan here in Blackpool. One of my colleagues is a member of the Hospital Trust Board and I have forwarded a copy of your e-mail to him. In the meantime I will try and find out any more information if I can to help.

Sincerely, Sue Wright.

 

To: cllr.sue.wright@blackpool.gov.uk

Sent: 20/06/04 11:51

Subject: who gives a monkey's

 

 

Thank you very much for sending this. I can understand why you are annoyed and I will take the matter up at any level I can.

 

Good luck to Jack and all of you.

 

Cllr Robert Wynne

 

-------Original Message-------

 

 

Date: 06/20/04 12:07:59

To: westcoastrock@blueyonder.co.uk

Subject: who gives a monkey's

 

 

Mr Roy Male

Blackpool Victoria Hospital

Whinney Heys Road

Blackpool

Fy3 8nr 28th June 04

 

Dear Mr Taylor

 

Thank you for your letter dated 18th June 2004

 

I am sorry to hear of your son’s condition and the fact he requires a MRI scan.

 

I also understand your concerns and frustration that you have been informed that MRI scans are not performed on children at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. The reason for this is that scanning of children is a specialised are that requires specialist equipment and together with the trained staff.

 

When a child undergoes a MRI scan, they are required to lie completely still for quite a long time, which is often difficult for a child under the age of six. Therefore, they are required to be put under general anaesthetic or sedation. Unfortunately, we do not have this monitoring equipment in the MRI scanning unit to monitor patients under general anaesthetic or sedation.

 

I hope this letter has addressed your concerns and explains clearly why we are unable to carry out MRI scans on children at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Roy Male

Chief Executive

[*Ant*]

Seems a right cop out by this Roy Male geezer. Keep at it Blackpool and I sincerely hope that this farce of a stance can quickly get turned around.

 

Best wishes to you, your little 'un and the rest of your family.

 

Ant