I have just come back from one of the excellent Local Involvement Network meetings, with Baroness Wall of New Barnet and Mark Easton of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals.
It was a good session, clearly the BEH strategy is doing some good things, they have identified some weaknesses which they are looking at and hope to improve using best practice. One issue was admissions again, which was a big issue in East Finchley. I may raise this as a members item at the next Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, if we have time. Mr Easton said no one had cracked how to do hospital admissions electronically.
I raised the issue of the telephone numbers they give out sometimes being wrong, out of date or merely a reference to another number. Many of us have experienced it when you ring a number provided to you that number refers you to another number, that number is no longer in operation, so you try to ring another number, who then guide you to the first number. I had this problem when I was looking for a dentist who did home visits for my Grandmother.
He also said he was looking at the transport issue, and confirmed that there would be 200 new parking spaces at Barnet Hospital. I'm choosing to be magnanimous about that. I will want a report back on the transport issue, particularly for Finchley Memorial, which is a little off the beaten track. I don't know is the buses that go along Finchley High Road can go into the hospital site, like they do at other hospitals. It would lengthen the journeys, but would make things easier.
But another good meeting by LINk, very valuable service.
