Following the visit, Theresa said:
“Across the country, Emergency Departments are under pressure with more and more people turning up for treatment. The numbers attending the ED at Barnet Hospital have been climbing and I wanted to hear from the people at the front line what impact this is having.”
“I decided to visit Barnet A&E during the busy Saturday evening period so I could see for myself what standard of service my constituents are receiving.”
“I am convinced that Dr Huseyin and his team are working very hard to try to deal with the challenges faced by Barnet A&E. I thanked them for the great work that they do in caring for my constituents.”
“I welcome the progress which is being made in expanding the emergency facilities at Barnet in advance of changes to services at Chase Farm. The focus on high quality care for children in the new paediatrics A&E is very encouraging.”
“During my visit, I also emphasised the importance of a joined up approach between the hospital, those providing NHS primary care, the local authority and those running care homes. It is only when all of these people work well together that we can ensure that our elderly get the top class care they need and deserve. I was pleased to hear of the work underway to ensure proper coordination between everyone involved in caring for the elderly.”
“We discussed the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy and I questioned both Baroness Wall and the doctors on the work being done to ensure Barnet would be ready for extra patients after the changes which will take place at Chase Farm.”
“A key challenge will be reassuring people who currently use Chase Farm that the Urgent Care centre that will replace A&E there will be able to treat the majority of people who would normally go to A&E. The main change will be that serious “blue light” emergencies will now go elsewhere, to Barnet, North Middlesex and, in some of the most serious cases, to other specialist London hospitals. I will continue to monitor the situation carefully as the date when the service changes go ahead gets closer.”
“The Government is committed to supporting the NHS with increased investment. We fully appreciate the pressure on Emergency Departments which is why the review being conducted by the renowned surgeon, Sir Bruce Keogh, will be so important in signalling a way forward. In particular, we want to see patients given better options for out of hours care which don’t involve a visit to A&E.”