09.05.2009-05-09
In answer to the question wasn't money left to the town for a hospital ... money was certainly raised by the town and the rest of the country as well as from abroad, following WWII. This was to be the Battle of Britain Hospital and sited near the Castle. However, the advent of the NHS put an end to the scheme and the money was almost lost from the town and a court case ensued whereby we won it back. This money was subsequently used to build the Battle of Britain Almshouses on Mount Pleasant (Cowgate Hill). Sometime later, it has been reported that Lady Violet Astor (her husband had been the MP for Dover) left money for a hospital to be built at Whitfield. To date, although I have searched and asked others for hard evidence, I have not been successful.
In answer to Marek, with regards to the siting of the proposed health facility - the Community Hospital, unless Dover actually pulls together is now highly unlikely which is why I resigned and as my missives are intended to show - I personally (and it is personal in case there is a Judicial Review) would be the Buckland Mill site for reasons that I have given above.
To go on from yesterday and the saga of Dover's present position in trying to achieve what is rightfully ours and the obstacles that are in our way unless we really start pulling together.
As already stated I have been in the thick of it since someone (I don't know who) recommended me to represent Dover on the PPIF-PCT, a government Quango. I followed the mandate that I had been given, which was to ensure that the services Dover received were in line with the White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say. Because I
could prove that both the EKHT and PCT were failing in this, I was given leave, as long as I followed 'due process', to take the case to the KCC-HOSC, which was heard on 9 May 2008 (sorry for the typo error yesterday) and I was successful - a Community Hospital was promised with all the services that we are entitled to.
However, it was on that day that the first signs that things were likely to go pear-shaped reared their ugly head. One was the look of the two politicians (non-KCC) who attended that day
- they certainly wished me in my grave and one has since gone on to get a great deal of media coverage. However, and more seriously, the other was from the GP Consortium.
Yesterday I told how the GP Consortium, made up of all the Dover GP practices, are able to 'buy' the community health services via the PCT for Dover ... and this included the Community Hospital (hence the name - community). The meetings I had, through the PPIF-PCT, up to that time had been very successful, particularly the one on 17 December 2007 when it looked as if the Dover Project, as envisaged in 2006 would be laid to rest. Following the demise of the PPIF-PCT in March 2008, I had sought and won the legal protection of my work so that I could continue to carry it through - to a Judicial Review if necessary.
The GP-Consortium, although asked, failed to send a submission to the KCC-HOSC on the 9 May, but an unsolicited letter (according to the Consortium) was read out at that hearing. This was of concern, particularly with regards to the behaviour of the two non-KCC politicians who attended - one of whom had read out the unsolicited letter. Neither Mr Prosser nor Mr Elphicke attended that hearing.
Prior to that hearing the Consortium, who were due to take over Dover's health services (including hospital) in the summer, had launched a survey to find out what hospital services Dover and district patients needed. Following the successful outcome of the hearing their PCT liaison officer - I will call Pinky (no disrespect meant); along with a more senior PCT officer, I will call Perky (again no respect meant) became very enthusiastic over the whole project. Along with others, I helped Pinky to co-ordinate people to take part in the survey and everything augured well as it looked as if the services that the people of Dover wanted were in direct line with those that I had successfully argued we were entitled to - handshakes all round!
However, the Consortium itself had turned noticeably cold towards both myself and those who were helping me.
In fact they declined to answer e-mails, telephone calls etc. etc. I already knew, following complaining to the BBC about their coverage of the 9 May hearing, that someone had sent out a misleading (to put it mildly) press release. That the same person and associates were also making unfound allegations against my person ... and could only assume that this was the reason. Albeit, along with Pinky, I focused on the outcome of the survey, which augured well.
It should be noted here that the GP Consortium, through the PCT, could buy hospital services from sources other than the EKHT, for instance from the private sector. Indeed, Perky, in a previous post, had successfully negotiated and set up a very nice community hospital that includes both NHS and private sector money! There was nothing, following the KCC-HOSC decision, to stop the GP Consortium going down that same route if the PCT/private sector partnership could be negotiated.
During the summer Pinky and Perky, along with a senior officer from the EKHT (whom I shall call Dumbo) were having meaningful talks with DDC. Then one Thursday, on the front page of the Dover Express, was a large photo of Mr Elphicke and the Shadow Minister of Health, along with one of the non-KCC politicians referred to above and a senior representative of the GP Consortium. At the time I felt that he was perhaps in the wrong place, at the wrong time, when that photo was taken. However, a cut-down version of the same photo was on the front page of Mr Elphicke's recent electioneering 'paper' that was delivered to every home in the district and there is the the non-KCC politician and the GP Consortium officer ... to my mind, that explained a lot!
In September 2008 I again successfully presented the case for a full Community Hospital (with in-patient beds (step-up/step-down; maternity, observation, children etc.), day surgery, full diagnostics, outpatients, day care, child care etc. This time I had the full presence as well as backing of Mr Prosser, representatives from all Parties of DDC, and officers from DDC, led by Mr Aziz. Mr Elphicke also wrote a letter directly to the KCC-HOSC broadly backing the project.
In November 2008, the contract was signed for the EKHT (now East Kent Hospital University Trust) to carry out the Dover Community Hospital Project. By the end of the year the three leading negotiating Officers from both the PCT and the EKHUT - Pinky, Perky and Dumbo had moved on to pastures new ... leaving Dover at the mercy of the EKHUT
... the final instalment tomorrow?
Lorraine