Surbiton doctor slams local hospital service

A Surbiton doctor has slammed Kingston hospital for not providing an adequate service for local patients; particularly those who are elderly.  Dr Martin Wolfson is quoted on the Pulse website, which is aimed at health professionals.

Dr Martin Wolfson is a GP from the Claremont Medical Centre in Glenbuck Road, Surbiton.  Along with other GPs, he has been vocal against the current standards of hospital care.  He has been quoted as saying: 'The local hospital is fine if you are young, fit and articulate, but if it was your grandfather, it wouldn't happen. It's money-driven and it's lost the personal touch.'

Included in the article is a defence from a Kingston Hospital NHS Trust spokesman, who is quoted as saying that: 'At Kingston Hospital we uphold high standards of quality care for all patients. This has been reflected several times through CQC inspections and reports. Late last year, a CQC report named Kingston Hospital as one of only 45 trusts meeting the standards of privacy, dignity and nutrition for elderly patients, as a result of an unannounced visit in March 2011.'

As someone with an elderly parent who is in and out of hospitals on a regular basis, I do understand where Dr Wolfson is coming from.  The personal touch has been lost and you need to be very pushy in order to receive the correct amount of service and care.  Hospital staff will often try and brush potential patients off, and older people often suffer through being too polite and unwilling to make a fuss.

Recently, a petition was started to call for Surbiton and Kingston MP, Ed Davey, to condemn potential job cuts and a ward closure at Kingston Hospital.  Ed Davey MP started his own controversial petition to prevent ward closures prior to the last General Election.  I guess at the time of his own petition, he didn't expect to be part of the Government!