In a story filed today the London NW University Hosptal Trust at last made a statement to Grant Williams, local Democracy Reporter on the Hydrotherapy Pool Closure.
A spokesperson for the LNWUH NHS Trust told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS):
“While we understand that the pool is a popular resource for a small number of patients, it is mostly used by private users. Hydrotherapy is not usually provided in acute hospitals, and the new NHS 10-year plan makes a clear distinction between services that should be provided in acute hospitals and those best provided by community services.
“Our hospital resources must therefore be focused on faster diagnosis, expanding surgical and outpatient services, and providing effective ward care so patients can be discharged promptly and treated equitably.”
The CHANGE petition opposing the closure now has 2,200 signatures LINK
9 comments:
'Private' users, who pay to use the pool contributing to the running costs, will be ex physiotherapy patients who have recovered after injuries or operations who want to maintain their fitness - surely this means they are less of a burden on the NHS by not having to go back for more GP appointments, more hospital xrays and scans, more physiotherapy appointments, etc.
Shouldn't the NHS by about prevention rather than cure???
Cut, cut, cuts and more cuts. What else is going we don't know about?
So much for coordinated health services!
Just because the hydrotherapy pool is located within what is now described as an "acute" health service building, the NHS Trust use that as an excuse to close it.
Common sense says that if it is actually a "community" health service, the Trust should not close it, but negotiate with the local community health service provider, so that they take over financial responsibility for it
The level of support for the petition, and the views of the physiotherapy professionals, show that this facility IS needed locally, and should not simply be withdrawn through a one-sided cost-cutting decision of the NHS Trust.
FOR INFORMATION:
As I think it is right to share points you feel strongly about with decision-makers, this is the text of an email I sent this morning to the Chair and Chief Executive (Mr Swindells) and Chief Executive Officer (Ms Nightingale) of the NHS Trust (with copies to Bob Blackman, Barry Gardiner and Cllr. Ketan Sheth (Brent lead on health and wellbeing). It was headed: Proposed closure of Northwick Park Hospital Hydrotherapy Pool:-
'Dear Ms Nightingale and Mr Swindells,
As you can see from the subject line, I am writing to you as the Chief Executive Officer and Chair/Chief Executive respectively of the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, as I disagree strongly with your Trust's decision to close the Hydrotherapy Pool at Northwick Park Hospital.
I have read the Trust's reasons for the proposed closure, as reported at "Harrow Online" on the "Wembley Matters" blog:
https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/at-last-nhs-trust-makes-statement-on.html
This is the comment that I made this morning under that blog post:
'So much for coordinated health services!
Just because the hydrotherapy pool is located within what is now described as an "acute" health service building, the NHS Trust use that as an excuse to close it.
Common sense says that if it is actually a "community" health service, the Trust should not close it, but negotiate with the local community health service provider, so that they take over financial responsibility for it
The level of support for the petition, and the views of the physiotherapy professionals, show that this facility IS needed locally, and should not simply be withdrawn through a one-sided cost-cutting decision of the NHS Trust.'
I would ask you, please, to pause your plans to close the hydrotherapy pool, and to work with the community health care services to find a way to keep this valuable local health care facility open.
I'm sure you can see that this is in the best interests of the patients who need to use the hydrotherapy pool, and the health and wellbeing of the North West London communities more generally. Best wishes,
Philip Grant.
(A resident of Kingsbury for the past 42 years)'
If you think that they should know what you think, the email addresses are:
matthew.swindells@nhs.net
pippa.nightinggale@nhs.net
Our Health Secretary is a Tory and is committed to selling our NHS to the Private Sector providers, especially USA ones.
If Northwick Park is now an "acute" hospital does this mean that the whole physiotherapy department and other non urgent services will be moved away also???
It's disgraceful that we have more and more homes being built all around us yet more and more services that we pay for through taxes and council tax are being removed.
Bet none of these decision makers live in our local area and bet they have private health care.
NPH's view that hydrotherapy is "best provided by community services" isn't obviously unreasonable, but you'd have thought they might have ensured that there are such facilities before closing the existing ones. I myself used to swim in the Aspire pool in the grounds of the Orthopaedic Hospital and it was designed for people with mobility problems, but it's at the top of a very large hill in Stanmore and completely inaccessible by public transport.
Comment from Linda Green: I am lucky to be a user of this wonderful service at Northwick Park Hospital. I have had two hip replacements and also have other issues arthritis. The service provides exercise in a group of about ten people supervised by a qualified physiotherapist. The warm water and the support of the water enable exercises that can't be done outside the pool. Fundamental if you have had hip or knee operations, or are awaiting surgery, is to develop muscle strength to improve your balance. The worst thing you can do after surgery is fall, as it can do irreparable damage. There are also patients with wasting muscles, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions. These are chronic, but apparently Northwick's CEO only wants to help 'acute' patients. In addition, many people attend the therapy after accidents and injuries. Ordinary physiotherapy is good, but only goes so far and patients get to the point where only hydrotherapy can help. There is no other local facility in 'the community', [Stanmore pool is one and a half hours on the buses, and doesn't have space in its acqua fit sessions] I don't know what the CEO is talking about when she says these services should be provided in the community, when she has done nothing to see if there is any way of bringing in any other organisation to run the pool. The best 'community' we have is the hospital League of Friends, who years ago ran a massive campaign to raise money for the pool, and have paid for more than one refurbishment since. We get offered three free sessions in the pool, then are told we need much more than three to benefit so we need to continue by paying for our sessions. This does not make us private patients - if you go to an NHS dentist you are not a private patient when they ask you for the fee. We are all referred by doctors, physiotherapists and hospital consultants. The CEO should change her decision [If Rachel Reeves can change decisions so can this person.]
FOR INFORMATION 2:
I have received a response from the NHS Trust to my email of 28 July (see FOR INFORMATION above), although not from the Trust's Chairman or Chief Executive Officer. It has come from their Complaints Department (aka "Patient Relations Office"), and this is what it says (I have crossed out the name of the Complaints Officer, to save her from any personal comeback):-
'Dear Mr Grant
Our Ref: 25/7/C12257
Please find attached acknowledgement letter, from XXXXX XXXX, Complaints Officer in relation to your email dated 28 July 2025.
Please note that the Trust does not usually send confidential information by email as it is not a secure system of communicating as it is possible for information to be intercepted and read by third parties during transit.
Further correspondence will have to be encrypted in line with the Trust’s Information Governance protocols and we have attached a guide created by NHSMail to instruct you on how this is done.
Many thanks
Patient Relations Office
Northwick Park Hospital'
This was the letter attached:
'Private and Confidential
Dear Mr Grant
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your email dated 28 July 2025.
I was concerned to learn of the experience you describe and have initiated an investigation into the issues you have raised. We aim to complete our investigation by 23 September 2025, and to respond to you shortly after this date. If for any reason our investigation is likely to take longer than this, we will contact you again. I would also like to assure you of our policy that no
patient or complainant should ever be treated unfairly because they or their family have raised concerns about care or treatment received.
I have enclosed a copy of our information leaflet which outlines the complaints process and gives details of where you can get support and independent advice which I hope you will find helpful. Please let us know if you require this information
or correspondence in a different format such as easy-read, large font or braille.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us. If you have any further queries regarding this matter please contact the Patient Relations Office on 020 8869 2026 who will be able to assist and advise you. Yours sincerely,
Complaints Officer.'
I will respond!
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