Health & Welfare

Connecting Harpenden
Connecting Harpenden
Click below for more information about Health Services in Harpenden
Connecting Harpenden
Connecting Harpenden
Click below for more information about Advice & Support services in Harpenden
Connecting Harpenden
Connecting Harpenden
Click below for more information about Befriending and Services for Seniors in Harpenden

Harpenden Community First Responders

Dr Bethan Rees with Ian Barrison

NHS Health Care in Harpenden.

 

October 2023 Public Meeting. To  see a report of this meeting please click here.

2023/24 Annual Report

Health & Welfare  - Looking back

 

Herts and West Essex  Integrated Care Board- the overall administrative body responsible for health care in our area- budget £2.8 billion.


Principles    (2023)

  • Integration of health, care and wellbeing services   
  • Priority towards prevention and early intervention   
  • Targeted work to reduce health inequalities
  • Involving our residents and staff

Strategic Priorities(2023)

  • Give every child the best start in life   
  • Support our communities and places to be healthy and sustainable   
  • Support our residents to maintain healthy lifestyles
  • Enable our residents to age well and support people living with dementia   
  • Improve support to people living with life-long conditions, long term health conditions, physical disabilities and their families   
  • Improve our residents’ mental health and outcomes for those with learning disabilities and Autism

 

Looking Forward -

An example of the ICB strategy

 Priority 1: Give every child the best start in life

Children and young people:

  • Increase school readiness, including an increase in the percentage of children with Free School Meal (FSM) status achieving a good level of development at the end of reception
  • Reduce rates of childhood obesity, particularly in areas of higher deprivation
  • Reduced unnecessary A&E attendances and admissions

Looking Forward  West Herts Acute University Trust

 

Works start at St Albans City Hospital to provide 3 new operating theatres, additional CT and MRI scanners, and a new surgical procedure room.


Building work in new hospital at Watford due to start in 2026.


Harpenden Primary Care Network


Dr Bethan Rees, Clinical Director of the Harpenden PCN gave an excellent talk on the development and future role of the PCN , at a society meeting in October 2023.


The NHS App upgraded and widely implemented in Primary Care.


From Mid January 2024: ‘Patients registered at all 3 of the Harpenden PCN practices who are aged over 13 can now see new prospective information added to their health record by accessing the NHS app. This includes notes from  GP consultations, test results, medications, and letters from hospitals. Repeat prescriptions can also be ordered through this app.


Looking Forward

Harpenden Society Talk on Children’s mental health - Dr Alison Cowan, GP with a special interest in Young person’s Health - October 17th 2024.


Fundraising support to Harpenden Community First Responders. Did you know that we are very fortunate to have the expert resuscitation skills of three Community First Responders, (CFR’s), in Harpenden? 



L&D refurbished emergency department (ED).


In July 2023, a brand new entrance and waiting area, a dedicated paediatric area and nine new major cubicles opened within the ED.


The bright, modern and spacious areas have made a huge difference to patient dignity and experience when attending ED, and also allow staff to provide outstanding care in the very best environment.


The final phase of works will see the expansion of the department where there will be a further increase in capacity, including assessment and triage rooms and sensitively designed mental health care rooms. This work is due to be complete by the end of 2024.

 

Ian Barrison


Covid delays the development plans for the Red House & the opening of Harpenden's Health & Wellbeing Centre. Click here to see the full story.
Above. Newly equipped consulting rooms and a reception section now ready for use at Harpenden Memorial Hospital

The Red House Saga - a bit of history

The Harpenden Society have for many years, been leading the campaign to ensure that the Red House site is developed with an ongoing medical service for the Harpenden community. And in support they established the Red House Forum in 2012, a ginger group with across-the-board membership, to steer the campaign. Key organisers, still active being Chris Marsden, former Harpenden Society chair, as chairman, with Eric Midwinter and Cllr Teresa Heritage.


This saga shows no sign of resolution despite promises from various NHS providers in the last decade. The Covid pandemic is of course a legitimate reason for delayed action of significance so it is worthwhile to remind ourselves at how we arrived in the current situation. The last 3 years have been traumatic.


April 2018


The owners of the site Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) finally presented their plans for a redevelopment of the whole of the existing Harpenden Memorial Hospital site. They would create a new Health and Wellbeing Centre in the existing Stewarts building (ready for use' by late 2020) funded by the sale of the remainder of the site for a new housing development and the Red House building being converted into apartments..


January 2019


The future of the Red House development (including the Health and Wellbeing Centre ) was thrown into doubt by fundamental changes in NHS operating structures. Ownership of the site was transferred to Central London Community Healthcare Trust (CLCH) as the new provider for adult community health services in west Hertfordshire from the Autumn.


September 2019


CLCH announced that the planned opening of Harpenden's Health & Wellbeing Centre would now be delayed until 2023. As the new guardians of the site they have had to assess all the previous work by the Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, much of it complex, before rationalising and submitting their plans and budgets to Government. The revised plans were due for approval in 18 moths time ( March 2021) with the opening now planned for 2023.


December 2019


A site meeting at the Red House revealed further delays. Two representatives of Capita on behalf of Central London Community HealthCare NHS Trust advised the following:


They are reviewing the whole concept proposed by HCT including using the site for house building.


They presented us with floor plans of the Red House building to show Phase 1 of the upgrades which will allow for additional services such as Podiatry, Tissue viability, Bladder and Bowel to be introduced, subject to internal sign off. Works were due to start in early March 2020 and they hoped to complete phase 1 by June.


Further information on the critical development of medical services will be advised going forward. The COVID pandemic curtailed most of the activity and all communication during the year.


January 2021


Email contact was made with the Capita contact as per Dec 2019. They advised that the Covid difficulties had caused delays but some progress had been made in the areas we have upgraded. The Main Red House building is currently rolling out the Vaccine to NHS staff & Care Home Staff, and CLCH NHS Trust have continued to carry out the upgrade works to the building so this is ready for the services once we are able to stand this back up.


CLCH have to date in the Red House:

  • Carried out a new roof extension
  • Installed New Fire Alarm
  • New Boilers
  • New electrics
  • New Air Condition units.

The main corporate management team have now relocated into the 1st floor, with additional transformation plans to be rolled out when it is safe to do so. The Stewarts is now owned and managed by another NHS Trust - Hertfordshire Mental Health trust so it does not feature directly in their plans.