Thanet Stroke Campaign has hit its first crowdfunding target of £5,000 towards the cost of launching a Judicial Review into the decision to close acute stroke units at hospitals including QEQM in favour of a super-unit at Ashford hospital.
The Thanet Stroke Campaign have appointed public law expert Alex Rook of London based firm Irwin Mitchell. Group member and Labour election candidate Karen Constantine met with Mr Rook at his offices today (April 18).
Find the fundraiser at https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/thanet-stroke-campaign/
They are also asking locals to keep up to date by finding Thanet Stroke Campaign on Facebook and joining.
Stalwart hospital campaigner Betty Renz has backed the action saying a legal precedent to keep services accessible has already been set by the 2013 ruling in favour of the Lewisham Hospital campaign.
She has accused NHS bosses of contravening duties to keep services accessible and ensure equality for all.
She said: “In my opinion we should have this Judicial Review.”
The Thanet Stroke Campaign is seperate group and not affiliated with Save Our NHS in Kent (SONIK) which has also been campaigning against the closure of the QEQM acute stroke service.
Hyper-acute stroke units
Acute stroke services are provided in all the hospitals across Kent and Medway, including the QEQM, but there are currently no specialist hyper acute units. NHS bosses in the region say larger, specialist units in other parts of the country have been shown to improve outcomes for people who have had a stroke.
A final decision on the location for three hyper-acute stroke units (HASUs) across Kent & Medway was confirmed by the Joint Committee of Clinical Commissioning Groups (JCCCG) at a meeting in Maidstone on February 14.
The units will be at Darent Valley Hospital, Maidstone Hospital and William Harvey Hospital – meaning the closure of acute services at Margate’s QEQM Hospital as well as at Medway Hospital, Tunbridge Wells Hospital, and Kent & Canterbury Hospital – which has already had its service withdrawn due to the removal of training doctors by Health Education England in March 2017
The plan is for Darent Valley to have a 34 bed unit, Maidstone General Hospital 38 beds and William Harvey Hospital 52 beds.
‘Impact’
Director for the Kent and Medway Stroke Review Rachel Jones says delays to plans for new hyper-acute stroke units will inevitably result in ‘more deaths and more disability.’
She added: “We have carefully considered population growth, deprivation and travel times to potential hyper acute stroke units in our review. We believe the rigorous process that we have followed and the decision we made will enable us to best meet the needs of our whole population, and save an extra life a fortnight.
“We will, of course, comply with any requirements that a judicial review or referral to the Secretary of State brings but are aware that this will have an impact on the implementation of the HASUs across Kent and Medway. Any delay to implementation will inevitably lead to more deaths and more disability than if we are able to go ahead as planned.”
What an awful thing for a professional person to say! The NHS has caused this situation. They are responsible for ruling out the QEQM before they even began to consult us.
I hope that technological advances will help to get us out of this mess because the NHS management certainly aren’t capable of doing so.
We have been forced to fight their decision in order to get our fair share of what we all pay for.
Director Rachel Jones often tries to throw this back onto the people her decision will affect with the same old “more deaths and more disability” if it is delayed. How callous she is saying that when it would be more deaths and disability for Thanet resident stroke patients if it goes the way they planned. Makes you wonder who these people really are. Thanet people should have just as much right to services locally as her and the rest of Kent’s residents.
What a disgraceful and offensive statement from the Director of the K&M Stroke Review, Rachel Jones. If this is the level of her debate having effectively condemned many to death by intending to deprive the QEQM Margate of an upgraded Stroke Unit, her biased, intransigent and blackmailing remark should be sufficiently appalling for her to resign. She says:- “We will, of course, comply with any requirements that a judicial review or referral to the Secretary of State brings but are aware that this will have an impact on the implementation of the HASUs across Kent and Medway. Any delay to implementation will inevitably lead to more deaths and more disability than if we are able to go ahead as planned.”
Ever since the idea of a Judicial Review was raised, this ill-considered comment has been made by those who failed to properly consult at the outset with those who would be most affected by their decision, the people of Thanet.
Unelected people on 6 figure payments closing down our services making up lies to scare us from fighting for our nhs.
“Director for the Kent and Medway Stroke Review Rachel Jones says delays to plans for new hyper-acute stroke units will inevitably result in ‘more deaths and more disability.’”
No. The death and disability will come from delays in reaching WHH for victims in Thanet.