Agenda 2019

Home at last. I have now (Thursday last),   returned home, following 6 months in Dorchester County Hospital, after an accident last September. The net result is that I shall never walk again. Today marks the first day of the rest of my life, so to mark the occasion I have renamed New Agenda as "Agenda 2019". Watch out for the new postings. I have missed a lot, so there will be much to post. Have a nice week

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/14782336.MP_voices_support_for_under_threat_TIC/ MP voices support for Dorchester's under threat Tourist Information Centre. Oliver Letwin supports the Dorchester Tourist Information Centre saying, "I do see the advantage of having a TIC in Dorchester and I very much hope that West Dorset District Council will be able to find a way of accommodating a new centre".  This is the same Oliver Letwin who describes the campaign to save the SCBU, Kingfisher and maternity wards at Dorchester County Hospital as a "politically motivated bandwagon", which would be "entirely irresponsible," for him "to promote  or join".  It is hardly a "politically motivated bandwagon", to campaign against proposals to close facilities in Dorchester, forcing people, particularly in West Dorset to travel up to an hour and a half to Poole, instead of 35 mins or so to DCH. Letwin now says that he i...

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/14568553.Hospital_staff_returning_to_cars_after_shifts_find_DOG_MUCK_smeared_on_door_handles/?ref=mr&lp=3 Dorset County Hospital staff returning to cars after shifts find DOG MUCK smeared on door handles in Dorchester The "parking problems" for people using Dorchester County Hospital, both staff and patients, are not the fault of those working there, nor are they the fault of residents in the area who have the inconvenience of parked vehicles outside their homes. Whilst I condemn the actions of those responsible for the abuse and other allegations reported in this article, we should not lose sight of the fact that the management and those responsible for the administration of parking facilities at the hospital, must take full responsibility for the grievously inadequate parking facilities, which have been a problem for patients, visitors, staff and even local residents for many years. As a regular user of Dorche...

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/12955257.EXCLUSIVE_INTERVIEW__We_take_a_look_at_the_future_of_Dorset_s_healthcare__DCH_A__E_is_safe_but_major_hospital_will_be_in_east_of_the_county/ Dorchester County Hospital A& E is safe but major hospital will be in east of the county As a regular patient at Dorchester County Hospital (who have just announced their plans for a reorganisation), cardiology for pacemaker check/box replacement, and visiting hematology for monthly blood checks, am I to understand that these services will no longer be available at DCH? A round trip from home to say Poole Hospital is a distance of some 70 miles with a traveling time of around 2 1/2 hours, and to Bournemouth Hospital the round trip is some 85 miles taking almost 3 hours traveling time. There are many people reliant on Dorset Hospital services who will be even more inconvenienced than I will be, all sacrificed on the alter of Hunt and his Conservative cronies who are intent on cre...

 The NHS and the Ambulance Service.   Credit where credit is due as they say. There has been much criticism of the Ambulance service recently, particularly in Dorset. Stories of hours spent waiting for assistance to arrive and then long delays in A&E frequently appear in the media. However, we recently required medical assistance and can only praise the NHS personnel concerned. The first responder arrived within 10 minutes of the 999 call with the paramedics and ambulance arriving less than 5 minutes later. This timely response was in spite of the thick fog on the A35. The A&E staff at the Dorchester County Hospital were very efficient and resolved the problem. No hanging around for hours on the hospital trolley. On this occasion, a big thank you to the NHS, particularly in the ambulance service and the DCH.

Dorchester County Hospital I have sent the following message to the DCH Facebook page and to my GP's surgery.   " I have just had yet another unsuccessful telephone call to the Hematology Dept secretaries to obtain the results of a blood test I had on the 17th July at my local GP Surgery. I have regular blood  tests to determine the dosage of Hydrea I should take until the next test. (I used to attend the hospital for this  which was done and the new dosage advised at the same time. The new visit the GP then ring the hospital was introduced to "save money".) The "form" is that I have the test, ring DCH a few days later for Dr. Moosa to advise the level of medication. For the last two, at least, calls to the hospital, I have been subjected to a seemingly endless list of "options", none of which meets the requirements of the call. The recorded message ends with "For any other needs, please ring back during office hour...

      http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/10531951.Updated__Man_injured_in_Weymouth_Town_Bridge_horror_fall/ A MAN was seriously injured after plunging from Weymouth Town Bridge and landing on a concrete parapet. A paramedic with the injured man Weymouth Town Bridge   Paramedics, Police, Fire crews, A&E (at Dorchester presumably), hydraulic platform, bridge closed all because some morons ignored the signs saying that it’s an offence to jump off the bridge. Perhaps these people had been drinking (there are pubs at either end of the bridge), but even if they were sober its a still stupid thing to do. There must be a cost associated with all the emergency services involved, so who picks up the bill?  

Thanks and appreciation for a first class service from cardiology generally, the day ward people, the catheter lab team and the people on Maude Alex who tolerated my music, warped humour and (sometimes no doubt) controversial comments, in fitting my pacemaker then sorting the glitch. Great job. Many thanks.   Why is the Dorchester County Hospital closing beds (and wards), getting rid of nursing staff, shedding ancillary staff like porters, cleaners etc AND AT THE SAME TIME completing the creation and fitting out of a new ward for the exclusive use of PRIVATE PATIENTS? http://www.dchft.nhs.uk/