Report from I.W. Councillor John Nicholson

Posted by Admin on 20 November 2017, 10:42 pm

COUNCILLOR JOHN NICHOLSON

Ward Member for Northwood & Cowes South
Chairman of Policy & Scrutiny Committee for Adult Social Care & Health Committee

SUNNYSIDE

PALLANCE LANE

NORTHWOOD

PO31 8LT
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Tel: 01983 209642 (evenings best)

Mobile: 07918 757843
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Email: cllr.john.nicholson@btconnect.com

See the I.W.Councillor’s section

WARD REPORT – NOVEMBER 2017

The Report appearing in the December 2017 / January 2018 edition of Northwood News:

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HEALTH SERVICE
At the beginning of November, I spent a day shadowing the Interim Chief Executive of the IW NHS Trust at St Mary’s. I have also been attending NHS Trust Board meetings whenever I can, and having interim meetings with main service providers to receive briefings and updates for discussion regarding the Island’s Health and Adult Social Care service. It has been interesting and, sometimes, starkly revealing. However, for all our troubles, we have, I believe, the potential to pull out of these difficulties to become a beacon health service; we have the facilities, we have the ability in skills and resources, and we have a very loyal and conscientious staff. That is what I am hearing and seeing, but for this transition to occur we need excellent innovative management, and that too is what I am seeing beginning to form in all quarters.
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My personal impression is that we have that leadership in formation. Having been highly critical of our services previously I can now see real transformation, real focus of care for what happens to service users, a will to streamline processes to improve efficiency, delivery of good service and accountability. I have been most impressed by the frank and sometimes tough talking at the Trust Board meetings, and at other meetings from the directors of IW Council Services, that comes with an attitude that second best will not do.
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There is, as far as I can see, a new drive from management to involve their staff so that improvement is collaborate, and instead of cuts and abdicating services to the mainland, to look at ways of constructive inclusion, through use of competence matrixing through innovative employment and development of skills. During my years meeting medical people, I have heard them comment on the potential that the Island has, through its integrated services and community, to develop an outstanding, even leading service.
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We are hearing, at the moment, a legacy of some very bad stories of real life suffering and poor practice, that reflect on where we were, not where I see that we are now. As a Council and Scrutiny function, I see it that we have the duty and opportunity to support existing good practice, emerging and potential good practice and constructively criticise bad practice, to encourage accelerated progress on the path that I believe and hope that we are now on.
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Services Needing Improvement – your voice
There are two issues that we should be taking up for improvement, and which make a significant difference to people, one is the disparity in dental practice on the Island, ranging from personal experience from outstanding to extremely poor. The other issue is that of travelling to the mainland for medical services. We are told that this will only be when necessary, but this is not what is happening. People that are receiving mainland “specialist” treatment are being made to trek all the way over to the hospital to be given results or services that could be delivered locally, and they tell me that the waiting room is full of Islanders waiting for the same. This is not good enough and I need to know your personal stories to be able to follow this up, in both cases, please.
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ROAD ISSUES
I received a lot of complaints about a car that was parked on double yellow lines near the incoming junction at the top of Oxford Street, broken down. Although Parking Services were very quick to put a ticket on it, there seemed to be no mechanism for getting it moved. I managed to speak to the owner, who was having genuine difficulties, and eventually we got it moved. I do feel that the mechanism when this sort of incident happens needs to be more robust, both to help people in difficulties, and to remove a hazard.
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Obstacles and obstructions can cause nuisance and inconvenience, and one of the worst offenders in causing this are the Utility Companies, and many will know of my campaign to curb their activities by charging for duration and lack of quality. Well now it has taken a new turn, as it seems that such disruption does cause delay to our emergency services, and if a road is closed unnecessarily (for no other reason than the convenience of the works), or left unnecessarily long, it not only puts patients at risk through delays and diversions that could be avoided, but it could be enough to skew our Ambulance performance figures and put us into measures as a result, and this to me is the last straw!

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John Nicholson
Ward Member for Northwood & Cowes South.