Newsroom Live – 4 January, 2013
Friday 4th January 2013, 9:48AM GMT.
Today we’ll be continuing to pursue stories about the ward closures at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Deputy Mike Hadley has submitted written questions to the Health and Social Services Department, and we also expect to hear from Unite union representative Bob Lanning who is due to talk to nurses today.
And after some of the wettest weather on record the latest water storage statistics are due to be released. We’ll have a summary in tomorrow’s Press.
Guernsey’s biking fraternity takes to the roads later today, to pay tribute to fellow biker Reg Gallie, who died recently.
The ride, which has been given police approval, begins at the Vale Castle and will go along the coast road.
After St Martin’s parish took the initiative to introduce tax discs for dog collars last year, other parishes have been following suit and today we’re catching up with these and finding out how this is working for them.
Tomorrow’s sports section includes Rob Batiste’s weekly Inside Track column, which this week looks at the selection of table tennis players for the Guernsey Commonwealth Games team, and how a complaint against the selectors played out.
There’s also news of how Guernsey FC has come to the aid of fellow CCL Premier Division team Colliers Wood, who have been having serious problems with their home ground of late. There’s also news of the Green Lions’ lineup for tomorrow’s away game with Molesey.
And there’s a look ahead to tomorrow’s home tie for the Guernsey Rugby Club, who take on CS Rugby 1863 at Footes Lane.
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Good – ask the Nurses what REALLY happened to them. There was no “consultation” they were simply told where to go and if they don’t like it, tough s**t. GEP make sure your reporters ask the staff on the front line, not the suits, as they know little of what is really happening.
Ask about the nurses who have already given in their notice.
The wards which have been closed are unlikely to reopened this side of June. It is a disgrace.
As for HSSD saying that there are staffing issues which is the reason one ward cannot reopen – what a load a nonsense. The staff are ready to return to their ward but have been told point blank their ward will NOT re open.
Get it right HSSD now, otherwise you will lose more good staff.
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HSSD are feeding the public a load of tosh! They cannot recruit staff for the medical wards. So they have spit up the best nursing team in the hospital,, de Saumarez ward, to fill in the gaps. De Saumarez ward is the best run ward with the friendliest and most helpful nurses who work so well together. These nurses are being forced to work in areas they have not specialised in and are extremely unhappy. Morale is at rock bottom. And it is the guernsey population who will ultimately suffer. Sinking ship springs to mind……
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Wow – comments 1 & 2 definitely deserve notice.
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Hi Dani, and a happy New Year, except for the patients, and their families.
Omnishambles is the new “in” word, and this seems to be a great example.
This is a hospital? Or a corner shop? or a sweat shop? Pity the poor patients and staff.
And it seems the new bosses are no better than the old ones. So who will replace this sorry lot? Or are they waiting to appear on Island Hospital? Nice smile? Bless.
But seriously, how was it allowed to descend to this? And who takes the can? The old lot, or the new? The PEH was a hospital to be proud of, in conjuction with the Medical Specialist Group. Now?
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Taff
Happy New Year to you too :-)
Just want to clarify what I meant is the commenters should be listened too, definitely not sacked/put on notice! What they have to say is important and I wanted to point it out. You sound angry (understandably) but I’m not sure if you are with me? Reading it through again my comment is written rather awkwardly and I hope you understand that’s not how I feel.
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Dani, I am angry, but not as angry as my wife who is due for a vital operation in Jan, and now they cannot say if it is on or not. Nor are they answering the phone – holiday and sickness!
And not angry with you.
As for those who comment, of course they should be listened to. And they should have a proper system set up to handle such comments, as a matter of course, as most will be beneficial. Cloud cuckoo land?
And all we get is some scruffy bloke as a spokesman who makes it worse. If you cannot be positive, better to say nothing.
Angry? There is another expression, but it is rude, so lets stick with angry.
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You must angry. I would be too. Problem is that there is staff available to look after your wife, but HSSD seems to prefer to forget this. There is a smokescreen going on, and i as a tax payer and an ex nurse would like to know exactly what. Your wife is being let down by the management who seem incompetent to the lay person and the nurses are fuming because they signed on the dotted line to work, and are being lied to.
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Dorey, the new Minister: Is this the Guy who did away with the Widow’s Pension when at Social Security?
He is the Guy who asked the States for between 14 and 20 Million Pounds to revamp the Social Security Claims System, without a clue where the money would come from.
Not a good Track Record. Useless!
Hope that the truth will come out about Staffing, far too many Managers doing nothing.
Cook, in charge of Finance is keeping very quiet. Another overpaid Manager?
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Dave
Yes it’s the same guy, he also wants to remove mortgage interest relief for owner occupiers (although not for landlords of course) as he owns dozens of properties.
To top it all he’s as wet as a fish, don’t be expecting too much from him in terms of improving the situation at HSSD.
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The front page of the press today gave the impression that de Saumarez ward is understaffed and they can’t recruit nurses to run it. This is a lie. The medical wards are understaffed and the fantastic orthopaedic nurses are being forced to work there. They are at rock bottom. Unfortunately their contract states they are unable to speak to the media. So their voices cannot be heard. So unfair.
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Buttercup, if you know anyone who wants to talk without being publicly named we (the GP newsroom) would be more than happy to hear from them and get their views across. It is vital that those on the front line have their say. The best person to call at first is the news editor Nick Mann, 240220. Or email newseditor@guernsey-press.com. Nick’s at work from 0800 on Monday.
Shaun Green, deputy editor
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I sense an explosive story about to break. What a contrast to Island Hospital.
Looks like the management of HSSD is no better than what we saw at Education last year. Can’t help feeling that something fishy might be going on with the recruitment process. It just doesn’t stack up, and gagging the nurses only adds to the speculation.
Which department will be next to be exposed for its management deficiencies?
The senior civil servants have taken over the running of the island and are doing as they please. Yes the ones with the rolls royce pension packages which we cant afford. Unelected and unaccountable. Out of control and the politicians are helpless to do much about it unless they run their departments tightly. Housing looks to be one which is well-run. I’m sure there are others as well which are well-run, but with Health and Education being the two biggest departments, this is another huge breakthrough. Rotten eggs must be found, removed and replaced.
Are we now truly surprised that we are being told that there are no more cost savings to be made?
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