Latest news with #BobbyDean
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Hospital's infrastructure 'among worst in NHS'
A south-west London hospital's crumbling infrastructure is "among the worst" in the NHS, according to its former estates ceilings, broken lifts and sinking floors have become normal sights at St Helier Hospital, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. In January, the Sutton site's redevelopment was pushed back to the 2030s following a government review of the New Hospitals Dean, MP for Carshalton and Wallington, called on the prime minister to take immediate action, and said there was a "very real fear that some of the buildings on the existing estate are at risk of catastrophic failure before the decade is out". A spokesperson from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said that they had spent £60m on repairs in the past five years. 'Run down and tired' Ken Welch, the hospital's former director of facilities, estates and supplies, said: "I've seen a lot in 30 years working in the NHS, but the condition of the buildings at St Helier is among the worst."I'm seriously concerned about the risk of fire, particularly with the growing use of corridor care. But most of all, I'm worried about the safety of the patients."In January the Labour government announced it would postpone plans for a new Specialist Emergency Care Unit next to St Helier Hospital until 2019 then-prime minister Boris Johnson pledged to provide £500m for a new hospital in Sutton under the nationwide New Hospitals cost has now risen to between £1.5bn and £2bn. Kate, a local mother, described the hospital as "run down and tired"."The care received from individuals at St Helier Hospital can't be faulted, but the system is failing them," she said. "The hospital is not equipped with adequate facilities or staff to cope with demand. The doctors and nurses cannot provide the care they obviously want to give."We had to take my son to St Helier Hospital at two days old due to a lack of midwives to carry out home visits."The lift was out of action, so we had to climb the stairs... in any other setting, this building would not be fit for purpose."During Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Dean called for action so that the hospital "can survive".He asked: "Can the government reassure me that they will work with the local trust on the plan to maintain and adapt the existing estate to ensure that St Helier can survive all the way through the major works completed?"Sir Keir Starmer promised Mr Dean a meeting with Health Secretary Wes Streeting to discuss the issue. A spokesperson from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We continue investing in our estate to provide safe care."We apologise to any patients who have not received the level of care they expected or have experienced long waits – our teams continue to do the best they can under huge pressure."
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
St Helier A&E 'at breaking point' and is among London's worst for wait times
A&E services at St Helier Hospital are facing unprecedented pressure says local MP, with more than 2,000 patients waiting more than 12 hours for treatment this past winter. Bobby Dean MP believes the Sutton hospital has reached a 'breaking point' as the Trust has been named one of the worst-performing NHS trusts in London in terms of A&E wait times. Research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats revealed that more than 34 per cent of patients had to wait more than 12 hours to be admitted to A&E at Epsom and St Helier Trust. St Helier Hospital Sutton Carshalton and Wallington MP Mr Dean slammed these delays, pointing out the Trust's infrastructure is struggling under the pressure of outdated facilities. He said: 'Delays to the promised St Helier upgrades directly threaten the future of our hospital and leave patients and NHS staff paying the price. "The queues to get emergency treatment are spiralling across the country, but the poor state of our buildings is making the situation even worse.' Bobby Dean MP In 2019, the then-Boris Johnson-led government promised £500 million for Sutton as part of the nationwide New Hospital Programme (NHP). The estimated cost now, though, is between £1.5 billion and £2 billion. The NHP promised to build 40 new hospitals by 2030. However, the current Labour government have since dismissed Mr Johnson's plans as 'a work of fiction'. As a result, vital upgrades have been pushed back to the 2030s, leaving the future of St Helier Hospital hanging in the balance. The hospital's ageing infrastructure has exacerbated the strain, leaving the community to suffer while vital upgrades remain delayed. Mr Dean warned the delays to upgrades threaten the hospital's future, leaving both patients and NHS staff bearing the brunt. He described the growing queues for emergency care as a national crisis but added that the poor condition of hospital buildings is making the situation even worse. The local MP shared a personal experience of the crisis, recounting how an elderly relative had to wait on the floor in A&E due to a shortage of trolleys and beds. 'The government must see sense and urgently bring forward these long-overdue upgrades,' Mr Dean said. In response, a spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: 'While patients in our emergency department are kept safe and we prioritise those who are the sickest, we don't want to be providing care in this way and apologise to anyone experiencing long waits as our teams continue to do the best they can under huge pressure. 'We've been very busy, driven by a surge in viruses such as flu and norovirus – people can help us by using NHS 111, their GP or a pharmacy if their need is less urgent, and by getting their jabs.' The trust has spent £60 million over the past five years improving its facilities but admitted its ageing hospitals are deteriorating faster than they can be fixed. They added that while construction of a new hospital and upgrades to existing sites will now begin later than planned, patient safety remains the trust's top priority.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Authorities race to contain massive fuel spill contaminating local waters: 'This should never have happened'
Authorities issued urgent warnings in February after a diesel spill polluted the River Wandle, an "at-risk" chalk stream in southwest London, per the BBC. An estimated 4,000 liters of diesel leaked from a bus depot storage tank in Thornton Heath, Croydon, ultimately spreading from Wallington to Wandsworth. Merton Council confirmed that the spill has severely affected the Watermeads Nature Reserve, a vital habitat for species like brown trout and kingfishers. The public has been advised to avoid the area. The River Wandle is one of London's few chalk streams, a globally rare ecosystem that has been the focus of conservation efforts. Residents have already reported birds coated in oil and struggling to clean themselves. "This should never have happened," said Bobby Dean, the Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington, to BBC News. He noted that the spill has undone "decades of work by hundreds of volunteers who have helped restore the Wandle from an ecologically dead river to a thriving ecosystem." Diesel spills are particularly harmful because diesel coats surfaces, suffocates aquatic life, and seeps into the food chain. The long-term consequences could include reduced biodiversity and contamination of surrounding wetlands. According to the BBC, Thames Water has previously indicated that it "may not take action to protect the river from sewage until 2035" with "potential works on the Wandle possibly brought forward to 2027." Thus, this disaster raises concerns about immediate and ongoing threats to the Wandle's future. The Environment Agency has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the spill. Once it has the information it needs, it intends to hold the responsible parties accountable. Meanwhile, conservation groups and local volunteers are working to rescue affected wildlife. "Our waterways and wetlands are precious environments, and any pollution incident can greatly affect our wildlife," said a spokesperson for the National Trust, which manages the Morden Hall Park and Watermeads Nature Reserve, according to The Standard. "Our teams are working closely with the Environment Agency to help ensure the site can recover as quickly as possible." How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. There is hope for better spill detection and cleanup solutions in the future. For instance, researchers from China's Harbin Institute of Technology have developed a bio-inspired filtering system based on deep-sea sponges that could revolutionize oil spill response. There have been other developments too. Scientists at Russia's Skolkovo Institute of Technology have created an artificial-intelligence-powered "e-nose" that can detect oil spills far more efficiently than current methods, allowing for quicker containment. In the meantime, residents can help by reporting any sightings of distressed wildlife to local authorities, supporting conservation efforts, and volunteering with local environmental groups. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Urban rivers ‘vulnerable' to pollution, MP warns after ‘massive' spill
Urban rivers are 'especially vulnerable' to pollution, an MP has warned after thousands of litres of oil spilled into an English chalk stream. The Environment Agency launched an eight-day emergency response to the River Wandle oil spill, an incident which Bobby Dean described as 'not a one-off'. Early reports suggested that on February 18, around 4,000 litres of oil spilled into surface water drains and in turn the river – which flows between Croydon and the River Thames at Wandsworth in London. Speaking in Westminster Hall, Mr Dean said that authorities have a 'poor understanding' of what the road drainage network looks like, so they do not necessarily understand what impact fuels have in rivers. Water minister Emma Hardy said the Environment Agency is investigating the spill and its causes. 🚨 Diesel spill on the River Wandle 🚨We are deeply concerned about the recent pollution incident affecting this precious chalk stream. This spill threatens the river's wildlife and the local community that cherishes it.#RiverWandle #PollutionResponse #ProtectOurRivers — South East Rivers Trust (@SE_Rivers_Trust) February 19, 2025 Mr Dean told MPs in Westminster Hall: 'This incident is not a one-off but just an example of the sort of threat that the River Wandle faces every day.' The Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington later added that 'this kind of pollution happens every single day, and that's not by accident but by design', warning that road drains make 'an urban river like the Wandle especially vulnerable to these kinds of incidents'. He said: 'What goes down those drains can end up in our river, and if you think about a massive diesel spill like this, think about all the types of pollutants that are running off that road network into our river every single day. 'And at the moment we have a lack of monitoring, so we don't really know what damage that's having. 'We have a poor understanding of what that network looks like, which drains connect directly into the river, which ones go via the sewage treatment works, we don't know really the answer to that.' Mr Dean said 'people realised that their toilets are plumbed into the river' when they saw footage of raw sewage in rivers, adding: 'The latest episode in the Wandle is one which I think will hopefully raise public awareness about the fact that it's also the drains on their streets that are plumbed into the river, too.' He asked: 'Can the minister advise on how we can coordinate these multiple stakeholders' investigations into a sort-of single, independent inquiry?' 4,000 litres of diesel spilled into the River Wandle this week . Criminal . Please help @SE_Rivers_Trust fund recovery efforts and guard against this type of pollution in the future . They've got a Crowdfunder running– please donate if you can — Chris Packham (@ChrisGPackham) February 20, 2025 He also asked whether the Government would use the 'polluter pays' principle, with any fines going into River Wandle improvements rather than a general fund. Responding, Ms Hardy said that London Fire Brigade arrived on the scene of the spill at 8.19am, with the Environment Agency called at 8.32am. She said officers from the agency arrived by 10am to begin their assessments, and authorities remained on the scene until February 26. 'The incident response has concluded on Wednesday February 26, they sent their final updates to partners on February 26, and what's happened now is they're in the investigation phase,' the minister said. Ms Hardy said the Environment Agency had several 'enforcement options', including warnings and prosecutions, which will 'really depend on the assessment' which officials make. She said she agreed with the 'polluter pays' model, adding: 'The Environment Agency can recover costs from emergency incidents through section 161 of the Water Resources Act, so any costs to the Environment Agency through doing this enforcement work, all of that money can be recovered.' Ms Hardy also said the Independent Water Commission would look at the issue of road runoff, as part of an ongoing review led by Sir Jon Cunliffe.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Warning to avoid River Wandle after diesel spill
Merton Council has warned the public to avoid the River Wandle after a major diesel spill polluted the "at-risk" south-west London chalk stream. The spill had spread from Wallington to Wandsworth, causing significant damage to local wildlife and water quality, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported. About 4,000 litres of diesel reportedly leaked from a bus depot storage tank in Thornton Heath, Croydon. The spillage entered the river and surface water drains and spread throughout the river. Residents reported seeing birds coated in oil, struggling to clean themselves and survive in the contaminated water. The LDRS said despite the efforts of emergency teams from the Environment Agency, there were growing concerns about the long-term damage to the river's ecosystem. Merton Council confirmed the spill had severely impacted the Watermeads Nature Reserve in Mitcham, with numerous local wildlife species already affected by the oil. Stuart Neaverson, Labour councillor for the Colliers Wood ward, near the Wandle, said online the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had been working to contain the spill, with fire trucks and officers "trying their best to stop the flow and take the pollutants out of the river". Thames Water is also involved in the clean-up efforts and the public is advised to stay clear of the contaminated water. Merton Council also urged residents to avoid allowing pets into the water and to refrain from feeding wildlife, as doing so could result in animals ingesting the harmful pollutants. According to the LDRS, the Environment Agency said it had launched a full investigation into the cause of the spill and Merton Council said it would provide updates as more information becomes available. Concerns remain high over the lasting effects on the river, which has been a focus of environmental efforts for many years. Bobby Dean, the Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington, who has previously campaigned to improve the protection of the Wandle, said he was pushing the Environment Agency for answers, an immediate clean-up plan and safeguards to ensure "something like this never occurs again". "This should never have happened," he added. The River Wandle begins in the North Downs and flows nine miles (14km) through Sutton, Croydon, and Wandsworth before reaching the Thames. One of London's few chalk streams, it is home to brown trout, chub, barbel and roach, making it a popular spot for anglers. However, a report by the LDRS last year found that Thames Water may not take action to protect the river from sewage until 2035. Thames Water is conducting an ecological assessment to determine priorities, with potential works on the Wandle possibly brought forward to 2027. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Wildlife hit as River Wandle polluted by diesel The 'citizen scientists' testing Thames pollution Boat Race rowers told not to enter dirty Thames Merton Council Environment Agency
