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Press Releases MP warns PCT over future of Livingstone Hospital
Press Releases MP warns PCT over future of Livingstone Hospital
| Thursday, 07 June 2007 | |
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MP warns PCT over future of Livingstone Hospital Dartford MP, Dr Howard Stoate, has warned West Kent Primary Care Trust that he will not accept any move by the Trust to relocate care services provided at the Livingstone Hospital in Dartford. The PCT announced last month that it is “likely to recommend the relocation of existing services” provided by the Livingstone in view of the cost of refurbishing its facilities. A decision has yet to be taken as to where the service would go if the Livingstone was to close its doors, but it is thought that Darent Valley Hospital is the most likely destination. “In my view relocating the Livingstone’s services to an acute facility such as Darent Valley Hospital would be a retrograde step that would undermine the recent progress that we have made in Dartford in cutting emergency admissions of older people and the number of delayed discharges,” said the MP. “The Livingstone’s buildings may be in need of modernisation, but the services it is providing are amongst the most modern and innovative in the country. Only this year the Livingstone was described by the NHS’s National Director for Older People as ‘epitomising the future of care for older people’ with its emphasis on treating older people closer to home and preventing unnecessary and costly hospital admissions.” “The Livingstone is a success because it is a community facility, staffed by community health professionals, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, pharmacists and GPs, working together as a team. It provides older people with the support they need to get back on their feet in an environment that patients often find calmer and friendlier than an acute hospital. It is also located in the middle of Dartford which means it is very accessible to patients’ families.” “Acute facilities such as Darent Valley have a different ethos and way of working and just aren’t geared up to provide rehabilitation services of this nature. Even if the PCT tries to ensure that it remains a stand-alone community led service, I think that there is a real risk that it will soon be seen - and treated - as simply an adjunct of the hospital’s specialist medical wards for older people. It would also be contrary not just to the Government’s, but also the PCT’s, stated ambition of providing more care in local community settings rather than in acute hospitals.” “Renovating the Livingstone might be the costliest option in the short-term, but ultimately it will help the NHS to save money as it will help to ensure that more people are treated in the community, closer to home, rather than having to spend time in hospital.” Notes Livingstone Hospital Rehabilitation Unit is a 38 bed former community hospital run by a consultant nurse and overseen by a GP specialising in geriatric medicine. Livingstone Hospital was singled out for praise in a report published earlier this year by Prof. Ian Philp, National Director for Older People, ‘A recipe for care – Not a single Ingredient.’ The report is available on www.dh.gov.uk |
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© 2008 Dr Howard Stoate - Member of Parliament for Dartford
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