Latest news with #HomertonHospital
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Christopher Biggins, 76, says he feels 'depressed and infuriated' after being banned from driving by the DVLA... despite passing his eye test
He may be known for his cheery personality, but pantomime star Christopher Biggins has been driven to distraction by the DVLA – after it banned him from the road. The 76-year-old I'm A Celebrity winner said he was 'depressed' and 'absolutely infuriated' after it refused to renew his licence following an eye test. After his licence expired this year, the DVLA contacted him to say he needed an eye test to renew it. So Biggins had his eyes checked at an opticians in Stratford, east London. He added: 'Ten days later, I got a letter from the DVLA saying I had failed my test and I wouldn't be getting my licence back.' However, he said a doctor at Homerton Hospital in east London then gave him a clean bill of health after an eye examination, and he passed an eye test at a separate opticians. Both gave him letters to send to the DVLA, but it stuck to its guns, saying: 'Unfortunately, the information you have supplied does not show that you are able to meet the required medical standards for driving.' The actor insisted his vision had 'not changed', adding: 'How can they disregard a hospital doctor and another optician? It has left me very depressed. 'I travel a lot and I need to drive. Not long distance, for that I take the train. 'It is costing me a fortune in taxis. It is very unfair. I'm absolutely infuriated with their 'computer says no' attitude.' Biggins called Labour's plan for drivers over 70 to have eye tests every three years 'disgraceful', adding: 'Thousands could end up losing their licence unfairly.' When contacted by Daily Mail, ADVLA spokesperson said: 'While we cannot comment on individual cases, all drivers must meet minimum eyesight standards to drive a vehicle. 'Whether a driver meets the eyesight standards can be tested through various means, including visual field and acuity, depending on the circumstances. 'These standards apply to all drivers and, if someone does not meet the required standards they cannot be allowed on the road.' The I'm A Celebrity winner, 76, said he was 'depressed' and 'absolutely infuriated' after it refused to renew his licence following an eye test It comes after Christopher became the latest star to reveal he'd turned to jabs such as Mounjaro and Ozempic in a bid to lose weight after undergoing knee surgery. The actor praised the effectiveness of the medication and claimed it could have other benefits, but acknowledged that there was still a lot that was unknown about possible side effects. He told GB News: 'I'm on Mounjaro… and I think it's good. I mean, I had a new knee put in, and I needed to lose weight because of the pressure on the knee.' Christopher added that 'they're now finding out that this drug can cure a lot of other things', but noted that 'we don't know the side effects' of it yet.
BBC News
02-08-2025
- Health
- BBC News
City of London sexual health clinic on Leadenhall Street to close
A sexual health clinic serving parts of east and central London is to close in the autumn, despite the catchment area including hotspots for sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).Homerton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust announced it would close 80 Leadenhall Street in the City of London, as the cost of the lease was rising and patient numbers had not returned to pre-pandemic levels. It comes after North East London NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) reported a growing number of under-24s in Hackney and the City of London were seeking support around Hospital NHS Foundation Trust thanked its staff for providing "fast, discreet, and high-quality care" at the Leadenhall Street site. 'Unprecedented pressure' Last year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), formerly Public Health England, recorded fewer diagnoses of STIs in NHS North East London found young people in the City and Hackney had sought more "interventions" for sexual health – mostly around STIs – than in the neighbouring boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham to UKHSA, Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark had the highest rate of STIs in the capital, with each reporting at least 2,500 cases per 100,000 City of London followed behind, with 2,422 cases per 100,000. In the City and Hackney, face-to-face consultations had not returned to pre-pandemic levels "at least in part" because more people were using online opposes the nationwide trend, where despite a fall in all kinds of sexual health consultations, clinic visits had seen a slight increase, according to the response to the UKHSA's figures, the Local Government Association warned that sexual health services in England were grappling with "unprecedented pressure" and urged the government to carve out a 10-year strategy and invest more to deliver "expert, timely care".Homerton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said the "professionalism, warmth and responsiveness" of staff at 80 Leadenhall would leave a "lasting impact".It said patients would still have access to treatment at other Homerton centres, including The Ivy at St Leonards Hospital, Clifden Centre and John Scott Health Centre.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Carer who abused dementia-stricken pensioner, 88, days before he died was given 'nursing' job at hospital just months later
A carer caught on camera abusing a frail elderly man days before he died was given a 'nursing' job at a local hospital - and won an 'award' 18 months after the allegations were made. Bilikesu Olagunju, 42, was employed at Homerton Hospital on a stroke ward with the trust acknowledging it was 'unaware' of criminal investigations against her. Harrowing footage has this week caused widespread outrage after it showed her 'manhandling' dementia sufferer John Attard, 88, like a 'rag doll' at his home. The defendant had been a carer for just six days and was on her fist assignment when a CCTV camera captured the full horrific ordeal that the family of the great grandfather say he never recovered from. Olagunju stripped the great-grandfather naked, threatened to beat him up, and even dragged him across his living room floor – ignoring him as he repeatedly told her she was 'hurting' him. He was found unresponsive by his son Chris Attard the following day and died in hospital just over a week later. Last week, Olagunju pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating or willfully neglecting an individual whilst acting as a care worker. She was given a six week sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with 50 hours unpaid work, at Woolwich Crown Court. But concerns have now been raised around DBS checks that failed to flag the allegations made against her - that allowed her to continue to come into daily contact with patients on a stroke ward. It is understood Olagunju had been dismissed by care provider Unique Personnel (Ltd) UK, and Chris said in January 2023 - a month after his father's death - a referral was made to the DBS. Despite hospitals requiring DBS checks to be carried out on staff working with patients - she still managed to secure employment at the hospital to look after patients on a stroke ward. The award was given for her role in the Homerton University Hospital Patient Experience Team, a department within the trust focused on enhancing patient experience. The post on the hospital's X account states: 'Congratulations to our amazing Bumble Bee Award winner for July 2024' and features a photo of Olagunju picking up a certificate. The hospital says the award is a recognition program that honors 'outstanding nurses and other healthcare professionals.' The BEE Award 'acknowledges the contributions of other members of the nursing team, such as nursing support staff, who provide excellent and compassionate care,' the trust states. Chris said he only became aware of the post and employment status of Olagunju after her sentencing last week. He added: 'You couldn't make this up. 'What makes me more angry is that my father was admitted to Homerton Hospital just before he moved in with me - now I found out she was working there.' It is understood both the council and the CQC are obligated to inform the DBS of any criminal investigation, which is seen as a 'crucial' part of safeguarding vulnerable individuals. Chris added: 'The council stated to me on 27 January 2023 that they and the care company sent referrals to the DBS regarding the carer's actions - bearing in mind the allegations did, at that time, not rule out she was responsible for his death. 'The company by law have to. 'Hospitals have to do enhanced DBS checks on applicants if they work on a ward or deal with patients. She worked on Graham Ward, a stroke unit. 'Either no one informed the DBS, or the hospital didn't do checks, or the DBS did not take action. 'I found out a referral doesn't automatically revoke a DBS certificate unless there is evidence of the allegations. 'Either way, this highlights the DBS check system completely failed and is not fit for purpose.' Last week, Woolwich Crown Court heard full details of the 45-minute ordeal Olagunju had put Mr Attard through. At one point in the footage she tells him: 'Maybe I will beat you up. I will flog you. I will take you to the GP to get injections. I will call the police on you.' The distressing images were filmed in the victim's home in Bexley, Kent, on Christmas Eve 2022 on a camera set up by his son Chris. The following day, Mr Attard was found unresponsive – with blood dripping down the side of his face. Chris said although a post mortem could not prove it, he felt Olagunju's actions had directly contributed to his father's sudden decline and death. Under the impression she had been suspended, he had earlier stated: 'If those cameras had not been there, that person could still be out there treating elderly people like this.' She is also seen in the footage taunting Mr Attard by pouring marmalade into his coffee despite knowing he was diabetic and threatening to 'flog' him - a slang term for 'beating him up.' When she phoned he care provider, she ignored advice to not touch him on the floor and instead call an ambulance. Chris said he was horrified by how visibly distressed his dad looked throughout the ordeal. He added: 'She is physically trying to lift him like a rag doll. His face indicates the discomfort and pain he is feeling.' Addressing her directly, he told her: 'An autopsy could not link your actions to his death – but I feel personally that your actions, in part, contributed to his sudden death'. Chris described his father, who had five children, 11 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, as 'kind-hearted, generous, compassionate, and funny'. 'He was still enjoying what life he had left,' Chris added. The distraught son said that rewatching the harrowing CCTV footage for the purpose of the case had had a profound impact on him, and his family. John was Olagunju's first assignment as a care worker in the UK. During sentencing. Judge Charlotte Welsh told her: 'Frankly it beggars belief that someone would be allocated an elderly man with dementia as their first client.' It is not known what date she started working at the hospital. In response, a spokesperson for the Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: 'We take any accusation of abuse of patients extremely seriously. 'Once we were made aware of the matter relating to this member of staff, we followed our internal procedures and took the necessary action. This individual no longer works at our Trust.' The trust would not confirm when they were made aware of the allegations, or when she started or finished working there.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
KATE WILLS: I'm pregnant and fearful. Every woman I know has a horror story about giving birth on the NHS
When I found out I was pregnant in January, after two miscarriages and a round of IVF, I was overwhelmed with delight . . . quickly followed by a state of anxiety, which has only increased with the size of my bump. Why? Because in three months' time I'll be having my baby at Homerton Hospital in east London, where in a recent online petition, the postnatal ward is described as 'an uncomfortable and distressing environment for new mothers'. Yesterday the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, launched a 'rapid national investigation' into 'systemic' failures in NHS maternity services in England, saying 'maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing'. But do we really need yet another inquiry? No, what women require now is action. The bad treatment women have experienced at my local hospital is sadly not an anomaly. In 2022, the Ockenden review found that urgent and sweeping changes are needed in all English hospitals to prevent avoidable baby deaths, stillbirths and neonatal brain damage. The damning report had been looking into one of the biggest scandals in the history of the NHS, where grim failures at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trusts between 2000 and 2019 led to 1,862 serious incidents including hundreds of baby deaths and an unusually high number of maternal deaths. Yet it seems very little has changed. In February, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust was fined £1.6 million after admitting it failed to provide safe care and treatment to three babies who died within months of one another. But it's not just the odd hospital. Last year a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, based on inspections of 131 maternity units, found that cases of women receiving poor care and being harmed in childbirth are in danger of becoming 'normalised'. Every woman I know has a traumatic horror story about giving birth in an NHS hospital. One friend had such a distressing labour – 40 hours, very little food, left in a pool of her own blood – she's decided she can't go through it again, even though she wanted a second child. Preparing to give birth should be a time of excitement and joy, not fear. When I had my daughter Blake in 2020, I – thankfully – had a relatively straightforward birth, though it was still the most physically traumatic event of my life. At one stage, I was covered in blood and vomit, lying in a brightly lit room filled with medics, as one of them pulled me apart with brute force. I still have flashbacks and I'm not surprised that roughly nine per cent of women experience postpartum PTSD. This time around, the cracks at my hospital have shown from the outset. My first 'booking in' appointment with a midwife was so bad, I made a complaint. I was given incorrect advice about the medications I was taking for my IVF. I was assured I'd never see him again, but ended up back in front of him last week. I've often waited more than an hour for my appointments. Some of the staff have been great, but they seem stressed and overworked to the point of exhaustion. Midwifery used to be a respected profession and women would often see just one midwife for the duration of their pregnancy and birth. Now a midwife's salary starts at £28,407, and they're leaving in droves. The Royal College of Midwives says there's an estimated shortfall of 2,500 full-time equivalent midwives in England alone. And I need all the help an expert midwife can give me. I'm 40 and it's an IVF pregnancy. I've been advised to have an induction but the thought has left me terrified – it can lead to more medical interventions and a longer stay in a maternity ward friends have described as 'being like one in the developing world'. I've looked at choosing another London hospital to give birth in, one which doesn't have such terrible reviews, but as my labour with my daughter was relatively short, I worry I wouldn't get there in time. So I'm trapped in an NHS system that I know may well put my – and my baby's – lives at risk. Wes Streeting commissioning yet another limp investigation feels like a waste of time. We know from the Ockenden review what would improve services: more midwives with better training, better pay for maternity staff, more support. Why not use the money being spent on this inquiry to fund maternity units? The Health Minister might say this investigation will be 'rapid', but it won't be rapid enough for me, or the millions of other women due to give birth this year in failing maternity units nationwide. All we can do is hope and pray for the best. These days it feels like the real miracle of childbirth is not just your bundle of joy, but getting through the experience unscathed.
