Friday, 16 May 2014
Welcome
Welcome to this, my 150th news bulletin.
I have been doing some research into how our key hospital services have been performing in Crewe and Nantwich. You may remember that I have done work experience myself in several different departments at Leighton Hospital, so I wanted to keep my knowledge current, and make plain to my constituents how the NHS is doing, both locally and nationally.
We had strong performance in A&E over the winter, despite attempts by some politicians to whip up a ‘crisis’:
- A&E targets have been met for the last quarter and the last year as a whole –despite having over 1,000 more admissions each week than the previous year.
- Average waiting times in A&E have fallen from more than 70 minutes under Labour to just half an hour.
- Our A&E departments are treating on average 2,000 more people each day within four hours compared to the last government.
- Labour’s Andy Burnham MP, who has repeatedly criticised NHS performance, missed the A&E standard for both winters when he was health secretary, as compared to this Government, which hit it for both.
At Leighton Hospital in Crewe:
- The new Critical Care Unit is now open, with the first patients being treated in the new operating theatres last month.
- The £22.8m project, which I lobbied the Government for, was completed within budget and has seen the creation of 14 critical care bays and eight operating theatres.
- Women having babies at Leighton are provided with the safest possible care available, according to a recent independent assessment. The maternity unit scored 48 out of 50 to achieve Level 3 – the highest rating possible. This reflects the excellent standard of care my wife received when my three children were born there.
- 99.6% of patients received their first treatment within 31 days of diagnosis, with 100% starting their second or subsequent treatments (drugs, surgery, etc.) within 31 days.
- The majority of Mid Cheshire patients surveyed in the 2013 Adult Inpatient survey had a positive hospital experience and said that they were treated with respect and dignity.
- The Trust has seen year-on-year improvements in the NHS Staff Survey.
Overall, the NHS continues to perform extremely well compared to Labour’s period in office, with:
- 800,000 more operations carried out every year.
- 23% more patients treated for cancer and a new Cancer Drugs Fund.
- Mixed sex wards virtually eliminated.
- Hospital infections halved.
- Waiting times lower at 18, 26 and 52 weeks than at any time under Labour.
This performance is only possible because of much-needed reforms which are saving over £1bn every year in this Parliament in management costs, allowing the NHS to hire 1,700 more nurses and 7,000 more doctors than under Labour.
However Labour’s own management of the NHS has been brought sharply into focus given some worrying failures in the NHS in Wales:
- The Royal College of Surgeons say that more than 150 patients have died on waiting lists at just two hospitals there.
- A third of Welsh patients wait more than eight weeks for a scan, compared to just 1% in England.
- Welsh A&E targets have been missed since 2009 and cancer waiting time targets have been missed since 2008.
- The College of Emergency Medicine describes Welsh A&Es as being in ‘meltdown’, and the Welsh BMA have said ‘we are seeing a miniature Mid Staffs every day’.
Finally, we have made excellent progress on the compassionate care agenda. Not only is the Care Bill, which establishes in statute the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, almost law, but also:
- There are 3,500 more hospital nurses since February 2013.
- Fourteen hospitals in special measures are being turned around.
- Opinion polling shows the number of people who think their NHS care is safe has gone up by 5%, and those who feel they are being treated with dignity and respect has gone up by 10% - both to the highest levels ever.
I am very much looking forward to going ‘back to the floor’ at Leighton Hospital again this year, to spend time working with the staff who go beyond the call of duty and make sure that our health in Crewe and Nantwich is cared for to the highest of standards.
Edward Timpson MP
Member of Parliament for Crewe and Nantwich and Minister of the Year
Please remember, you can always contact me directly if you have any questions for me, or if there is anything I can do to assist you.
Locally, I have...
- Cut the ribbon at the official opening (pictured, right) of the new building at The Willows Pre-School in Wistaston. The opening celebration, attended by Peppa Pig and Crewe Alex mascot Gresty the Lion, raised more than £1,300 for the Pre-School.
- Joined in with representatives from Google, for a school assembly at Brine Leas, as part of the Well Versed internet safety school campaign.
- Held two of my regular constituency advice surgeries - please call my office if you need to make an appointment to speak to me.
- Visited Home Start, the family support charity, at their base in Crewe.
- Opened the 'Everest Challenge' at South Cheshire College, where climbers of all ages, including my son Sam, scaled the wall to reach a combined height equivalent to Mount Everest. The event raised money for national charity CLIMB (National Information Centre for Metabolic Diseases), based in Crewe.
- Attended a meeting of the School Council at Mablins Lane Community Primary, answering questions from pupils and learning from staff how the school has improved and is going from strength to strength.
Photo News
I met with the Children’s Heart Federation in Parliament recently, to learn about their 'Think HEART' campaign, to help improve the early diagnosis rates of children’s heart conditions.
You can read more about the campaign yourself at www.chfed.org.uk/thinkheart.
Crewe's MP backs pothole fix funding
Crewe & Nantwich Guardian: Crewe's MP Edward Timpson has welcomed new Government funding for pothole repairs and urged Cheshire East Council to bid for support.
The £168 million Pothole Fund, announced in the 2014 Budget, has opened for bids from councils, with applications closing next month. The funding is enough to repair more than three million potholes across Britain, and comes on top of £10 billion already being given to councils in England for local roads maintenance between 2010 and 2021.
Local authorities who get funding will have to sign a pothole pledge setting out clearly how many potholes they will fix by March 2015 so that local communities can have confidence that action will be taken.
Mr Timpson said: "This is a great opportunity to improve the roads in Crewe and Nantwich and deal with the blight of potholes.
"I am delighted that Cheshire East Council is preparing its bid for this money. Investing in Britain's roads and infrastructure is a key part of the long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain.
"By fixing Britain's roads we are supporting local businesses, and making life that bit easier for the hardworking people in Crewe and Nantwich who rely on them to get around."
Photo News
I joined children and parents at The Willows Pre-School, in Wistaston, for their fun day and official opening of their new facilities.
Nantwich MP Edward Timpson hails latest crime figures for Cheshire
Nantwich News: Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson has welcomed new figures which show crime has fallen in Cheshire over the last 12 months.
Latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics show that since 2010, recorded crime in Cheshire has fallen by 16%. Figures for the period from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013 show that overall total crime is down by 3.3%.
There have been reductions in violent crime, robbery, criminal damage, arson and vehicle offences. Increases have been recorded in burglary and theft from the person.
Mr Timpson said: "It is great news that crime has fallen in Cheshire.
"Local police officers in Crewe and Nantwich can be rightly proud of their success in cutting crime. The Government has cut police red tape and given them one simple target: cut crime. And that's what they are doing. This means people are safer on the streets, at home, and at work – helping to build better communities in Crewe and Nantwich."
Assistant Chief Constable Janette McCormick said: "Although overall recorded crime continues to fall across the county, Cheshire Police is not complacent and is committed to tackling all crime.
"Working with our partners we have focused on reducing crime and anti-social behaviour often driven by alcohol that can be linked to our town centres. It is therefore positive to see that violent crime has fallen, and is testament to the hard work undertaken by officers in tackling this type of crime.
"Crime of this nature will not be tolerated and the Force remains committed to tackling all forms of violent crime, especially domestic abuse. Theft from the person continues to be a concern, with an increase in the theft of expensive items such as iPods, iPads, mobile phones and laptops."
John Dwyer, Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, added: "I am pleased to see the Constabulary continues to rise to the challenges I have set, crime continues to fall and some great work is being done by the Force."
Firm shows MP its state of health
Crewe Chronicle: Edward Timpson visited Crewe's Baywater Healthcare to find out how it's exceeded all its growth targets.
Baywater – an independent specialist supplier of homecare services to patients with long-term conditions – applies oxygen and health support.
It was the Crewe and Nantwich MP's first visit to the company since it changed its name from Air Products in 2013 and gave him the chance to speak to staff and learn about their different roles, while also participating in some of the day to day work done at the office.
After being introduced to the senior management staff, Edward was invited into Baywater's contact centre, where he had the opportunity to listen in on calls from patients requiring assistance.
He also assisted in placing orders for oxygen required by patients, which is then delivered by the company's engineers. The contact centre receives about 5,000 calls per week from patients and is staffed by 28 members of staff.
Edward also spoke to John Platt, a local patient who uses the home oxygen service, and John's engineer, Chris McHugh.
Chief executive Adam Sullivan said: "At Baywater, we pride ourselves on the excellent service we provide to patients in the Crewe area and it was great for Edward to experience this by meeting John and our team and learning about the unique patient focused service we provide.
"We've had a great year so far at Baywater, as we continue to grow the business and expand the company's telehealth services, where we use technology to monitor patients with long term illnesses helping them to keep their independence."
Eight temporary employees have now been offered full time contracts at Baywater, as the company continues to grow.
5 ways to contact Edward Timpson
- By e-mail: timpsone@parliament.uk
- On the web: www.edwardtimpson.com
- By phone: 01270 501 725
- By post: 30 Victoria Street, Crewe CW1 2JE
- In person: Click here to see surgery times
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