Monday, 15 May 2017

Brent Cabinet to discuss Northwick Park One Public Estate Memorandum

Controversial 'One Public Estate' plans LINK for Northwick Park will be discussed at the Cabinet on May 22nd (at the earlier time of 6pm) in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding between the four partners: London Borough of Brent, London NW Healthcare NHS Trust, University of Westminster and Network Homes.

Consultation revealed resident fears over impact on transport, existing infrastructure including schools, flood and drainage and the need to consult with Harrow Council.  I would also add the potential impact on public open space as being a concern.

The Memorandum of Understanding stresses improvements for all the partners but also has an underlying theme of reducing costs and maximising receipts and land values:

The Key Objectives

The aim of the Project in general terms is to work together to rationalise services and resources between the Partners and Associate Partners  and unlock development land to facilitate hospital redevelopment, new homes and improved services for the community.
Common visions for partners;
·      Place making
·      Central hub(s)
·      Improved infrastructure (road network and Highways, cycle ways etc.), and transport connections, (Underground, overground rail and buses), and private
·      Utility and boundary review.
·      Energy strategy
·      Shared facilities and services. 

 The specific aim of Project is to:
·      to generate capital receipts.
·      to reduce running costs
·      to create jobs,
·      to create homes,
·      to integrate services These aims are referenced in Brent’s July 2016 Phase Four OPE MOU  

Key objectives for Brent are;
·      More affordable homes
·      More school places
·      Growth
·      Increased revenue from homes and businesses
·      Employment and skills opportunities within the Borough. 

 Key objectives for London Northwest Healthcare NHS Trust
·      Maximise income for the Trust in order to support its deficit and sustainability plans
·      Ensure accommodation requirements are met
·      Improve access to the hospital
·      Protect existing clinical services from distribution or delay (e.g. Blue light vehicles, clinical activity)
·      Improve civic values of the development
·      Address requirement to re-provide services currently on the land, whilst ensuring continuity  

Key objectives for The University of Westminster
·      Maintain and increase student satisfaction levels
·      Upgrade teaching spaces
·      Increase critical mass and create a sense of place
·      Create additional student accommodation
·      Maximise value of landholding
·      Create staff accommodation.  

Key Objectives for Network Homes Ltd.
·      Phased redevelopment of Northwick Park working collaboratively with other land holders to maximise the potential opportunity
·      Delivery of new affordable and mixed tenure housing as well as commercial uses
·      High quality design and place making, including the main gateway into the site from NWP tube station, serving all land holdings
·      Improved infrastructure and transport connections to help ensure a sustainable future for Northwick Park residents, service providers and hospital patients

This is project outline as first published in One Public estate (Local Government Association/Cabinet office) February 2017 (click on image to enlarge)


Local hospitals hit by cyber attack: advice from Health Trust

Statement from NW London NHS Trust


Since Friday's cyber attack, staff across the Trust have been working tirelessly to ensure patients are cared for safely.

We identified the virus at 12.45pm on Friday (12 May) in three PCs and two servers. As soon as the virus was identified we took immediate action to protect our systems from any data loss and further corruption. 

As a precaution we shut down a number of IT systems and some services are currently using paper-based systems. It is the precautionary measures we have taken that have caused most disruption, not the virus itself.

We continue to work with NHS Digital and will begin to switch our IT systems back on when we feel it is safe to do so.

In the meantime we are asking the public to help our staff and visit our emergency departments for serious and life-threatening injuries and conditions only. Please consider the alternatives, such as visiting your local walk-in centre, pharmacy or calling 111 for minor injuries and advice. This will help relieve pressure on our services. 

Advice for patients 

Patients are asked to attend their appointment or operation as planned over the coming days, unless they have been contacted and told not to attend. If patients or their loved ones need to get in touch about their appointment or operation, please call (instead of email) our main hospital switchboards:
 
  • Central Middlesex Hospital: 0208 965 5733 
  • Ealing Hospital: 0208 967 5000
  • Northwick Park and St. Mark's hospitals: 0208 864 3232


We apologise for any delays and cancellations that patients will experience and we thank you for your continued patience and cooperation as we work to resolve these issues.

MORE
Since Friday's cyber attack, staff across the Trust have been working tirelessly to ensure patients are cared for safely.
We identified the virus at 12.45pm on Friday (12 May) in three PCs and two servers. As soon as the virus was identified we took immediate action to protect our systems from any data loss and further corruption.
As a precaution we shut down a number of IT systems and some services are currently using paper-based systems. It is the precautionary measures we have taken that have caused most disruption, not the virus itself.
We continue to work with NHS Digital and will begin to switch our IT systems back on when we feel it is safe to do so.
In the meantime we are asking the public to help our staff and visit our emergency departments for serious and life-threatening injuries and conditions only. Please consider the alternatives, such as visiting your local walk-in centre, pharmacy or calling 111 for minor injuries and advice. This will help relieve pressure on our services.
Advice for patients
Patients are asked to attend their appointment or operation as planned over the coming days, unless they have been contacted and told not to attend. If patients or their loved ones need to get in touch about their appointment or operation, please call (instead of email) our main hospital switchboards:
  • Central Middlesex Hospital: 0208 965 5733 
  • Ealing Hospital: 0208 967 5000
  • Northwick Park and St. Mark's hospitals: 0208 864 3232
We apologise for any delays and cancellations that patients will experience and we thank you for your continued patience and cooperation as we work to resolve these issues.
- See more at: http://www.lnwh.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-media/latest-news/cyber-attack-information-for-patients/#sthash.fVPMmwLk.dpuf
Since Friday's cyber attack, staff across the Trust have been working tirelessly to ensure patients are cared for safely.
We identified the virus at 12.45pm on Friday (12 May) in three PCs and two servers. As soon as the virus was identified we took immediate action to protect our systems from any data loss and further corruption.
As a precaution we shut down a number of IT systems and some services are currently using paper-based systems. It is the precautionary measures we have taken that have caused most disruption, not the virus itself.
We continue to work with NHS Digital and will begin to switch our IT systems back on when we feel it is safe to do so.
In the meantime we are asking the public to help our staff and visit our emergency departments for serious and life-threatening injuries and conditions only. Please consider the alternatives, such as visiting your local walk-in centre, pharmacy or calling 111 for minor injuries and advice. This will help relieve pressure on our services.
Advice for patients
Patients are asked to attend their appointment or operation as planned over the coming days, unless they have been contacted and told not to attend. If patients or their loved ones need to get in touch about their appointment or operation, please call (instead of email) our main hospital switchboards:
  • Central Middlesex Hospital: 0208 965 5733 
  • Ealing Hospital: 0208 967 5000
  • Northwick Park and St. Mark's hospitals: 0208 864 3232
We apologise for any delays and cancellations that patients will experience and we thank you for your continued patience and cooperation as we work to resolve these issues.
- See more at: http://www.lnwh.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-media/latest-news/cyber-attack-information-for-patients/#sthash.fVPMmwLk.dpuf
Since Friday's cyber attack, staff across the Trust have been working tirelessly to ensure patients are cared for safely.
We identified the virus at 12.45pm on Friday (12 May) in three PCs and two servers. As soon as the virus was identified we took immediate action to protect our systems from any data loss and further corruption.
As a precaution we shut down a number of IT systems and some services are currently using paper-based systems. It is the precautionary measures we have taken that have caused most disruption, not the virus itself.
We continue to work with NHS Digital and will begin to switch our IT systems back on when we feel it is safe to do so.
In the meantime we are asking the public to help our staff and visit our emergency departments for serious and life-threatening injuries and conditions only. Please consider the alternatives, such as visiting your local walk-in centre, pharmacy or calling 111 for minor injuries and advice. This will help relieve pressure on our services.
Advice for patients
Patients are asked to attend their appointment or operation as planned over the coming days, unless they have been contacted and told not to attend. If patients or their loved ones need to get in touch about their appointment or operation, please call (instead of email) our main hospital switchboards:
  • Central Middlesex Hospital: 0208 965 5733 
  • Ealing Hospital: 0208 967 5000
  • Northwick Park and St. Mark's hospitals: 0208 864 3232
We apologise for any delays and cancellations that patients will experience and we thank you for your continued patience and cooperation as we work to resolve these issues.
- See more at: http://www.lnwh.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-media/latest-news/cyber-attack-information-for-patients/#sthash.fVPMmwLk.dpuf

Three key pledges from the Greens to create an inspiring education system



 Kenmont primary school pupils, many from Brent, demonstrate against education cuts

Vix Lowthian, Green Party Education  Spokesperson announced three key pledges this morning to create an inspiring education system:
  1. Invest £7bn to fill funding gap
  2. Abolish SATs
  3. End academies programme and bring existing academies under local authority system
The Green Party want to create an inspiring education system that transforms lives and transforms Britain.

But that can’t happen without the very basic foundations being in place and this Government has been removing those foundations brick by brick.

Since 2015 £2.2bn has been taken out of the education system and between now and 2020 the Government plans to take out a further £3bn. That’s over £200,000 for every school or £1000 for every pupil. The academies programme has taken schools out of the hands of local authorities and parents and given them over to private businesses. That means that if a school isn’t performing a commercial interest, it can be shut down at will by the owners, leaving pupils without a school to go to.

At the same time as schools are getting less resources, more is being asked of teachers and pupils. Children are now being tested from age 7 onwards, with their results affecting the classes they are put in and their chances of getting into a decent secondary school. Asking children of that age to learn, revise, and test their knowledge has sapped all the fun, creativity, and inspiration out of going to school. The fact that teachers too are assessed on how well they drill their pupils for these exams - with the shadow of Ofsted hanging over them - means they have no time to do the thing they are meant to be at school for: teaching.

We believe in creating an inspiring education system. First and foremost we must make up for the enormous shortfall, the massive neglect, in our education system. Greens will ensure the education spending deficit of £7bn is plugged, laying the foundations for a transformative education system. We will scrap SATs so that pupils are no longer subjected to pointless, pressurised testing. And we will put an end to the academies programme and bring existing academies back under local authority control so that our children’s education is in the hands of teachers and parents, not businesses.