Closure of baby clinic in Kew (Richmond Hamlet); clinic moved to Ham??!

[sheenlane]

Hi,

Are others as incensed as I am about next week's closure of the baby clinic in Kew (at Richmond Hamlet, Kew Foot Road)? Apparently, mums (and dads and carers) will have to bus/drive/walk all the way to Ham for baby advice and weighing.

Baby clinic (and breastfeeding advice) is a really important service! Why is it closing in Kew? Given the number of families in the area, I bet there's enough demand - especially with the recession babyboom! Is the clinic moving because of NHS budget cuts? If so, I bet NHS bosses won't be rushing to bring it back when the economy does pick up.

What if new mums are put off by going to Ham because of the hassle? Will they miss out on vital advice and info??

I've not been able to find out much from Rich and Twick Times. Was there a consultation period? What does Zac think? Surely the yummy mummies who voted for him expect him to demand public services that are both family friendly AND local.

It's ridiculous that Kew will have two Tescos but no baby clinic.

Sorry I've got so many questions - if anyone can fill me in, that would be great.

Suggested plan of action:

1. Take all of the points raised back to Jo Manley for answers

1. Conduct a short survey of parents in the local area to find out attitudes to services changes and find out how effectively the changes have been communicated.

1. Circulate the survey on local parenting forum/group boards (Mumsnet, Netmums, For Sanity's Sake, West London Mum, Nappy Valley Net etc etc) to all NCT members, to all non-members who have agreed we can email them.

1. Get some clear answers about dates

1. Get some clear actions from HRCH about how they will effectively communicate these changes (press releases, leafleting, posters in GP surgeries, letters to all parents etc etc).

If necessary we will organise a campaign to protest - but we need more details before we can take that decision and that is not our preferred option. Our preferred option is to get change via influencing, engagement and consultation.

Of course if the provision is felt to be the same or better obviously this will not be necessary. What do you think?

Ok some of you got the preview version(!) but here is our official statement cut and pasted below. It will be going on our website, Facebook and Twitter in the next few minutes and out to all members and registered contacts on email later today.

Our actions as above still stand - please do let us know your thoughts. We might be wearing the NCT label but we are local parents just like you and it's very important to us that what we do is relevant to local parents and represents the majority view - so please tell us what you think. There is even a little survey link to make it super easy.

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NCT Richmond branch statement regarding relocation of community health services from Kew Hamlet/Richmond Royal to Ham

We were made aware on Thursday 2nd February 2012 that child and postnatal community health services were to be withdrawn from Kew Hamlet/Richmond Royal and relocated to Ham. We immediately contacted the PCT, who commission the service and HRCH (Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare) who deliver the service, to ask for information as to what the changes were. To date we have received no direct response to that email.

We first became aware of proposals to relocate the service in March 2011 and at that time we raised the issue of women travelling via public transport to Ham. There is no direct route on public transport from Barnes, Mortlake, East Sheen or Kew and just a single bus from Richmond. We were concerned that women with more than one child, birth injuries or disabilities would be unable to access services. We were assured we would be informed and consulted regarding any proposed changes so we were dismayed to find out about the changes by chance and without any warning, notice or consultation.

On Wednesday 15th February we received a response (via Richmond LINK) from the Director of Operations at HRCH. Unfortunately she does not tell us when services are to be withdrawn from Kew Hamlet and we have sent 10 questions back to her seeking further clarification. In the meantime, we can tell you the following:

? New premises have been agreed for three sessions at Kew children?s centre on Windham Road. All clinics held there will be in term time only.

? Well baby clinic will be held at Ham clinic once a week and a second well baby clinic will be held weekly (term time only) at Kew children?s centre.

? Invited appointments will be held at Ham and Kew children?s centre.

? Baby Café is moving to Centre House, Sheen Lane NOT Ham. It will still be on a Monday but in the afternoon.

We are still concerned that not all parents are able to access services safely using public transport and we have again raised this issue. We have also disputed HRCH?s claim the parents have been pleased with the move because parking is easier at Ham. We firmly believe that most parents are unaware of the planned changes and we have asked that they take action to address that concern. We also believe some public consultation should have taken place before making decisions about changing the provision. With those concerns in mind we have put together a very short survey to see how well the changes have been communicated and what parents think about the changes. You can complete the survey here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LNTW6P until 1st March 2012.

These are the 10 questions we have asked HRCH:

1. On what date are the baby clinics being withdrawn from Kew Hamlet?

1. On what date is The Baby Cafe being withdrawn from Kew Hamlet?

1. If there is a break between the withdrawal of The Baby Cafe and relocation to Centre House what alternative provision will be put in place?

1. What provision will there be for women and babies in East Sheen, Mortlake, and Barnes to attend baby clinics? Windham is not easily accessible from a rail station and travelling by bus involves a difficult walk across a busy duel carriage way. Getting to Ham involves a Herculean effort unless you are driving, which as many women do not or cannot due to birth injuries it is unreasonable to expect them to travel that far.

1. What provision will there be for non-term time in Richmond?

1. Will Baby Cafe be open all year round? Are there any plans to address the issue of lack of breast feeding support on bank holidays and particularly the Christmas period where there can be no breast feeding drop-in for the whole borough and further afield for as much as three weeks? While this has always been an issue with Mondays a move of venue would be a good opportunity to review some of the current barriers to delivering excellent provision.

1. What efforts will be made to communicate the changes? There is nothing available online, on the council or HRCH websites about the changes to services and there is no press release.

1. What public consultation has been undertaken to make the decisions about changes to services?

1. What provision will there be for breastfeeding support for women living in Kew? Sheen Lane is not the most accessible place to get to on public transport if you live anywhere other than near the Mortlake Road.

10. Where and when are parents able to access well baby clinics and breastfeeding support from next Monday?

As soon as we have a response to these queries we will put out a new statement but if in the meantime you have any more information or if you would like to discuss this further please contact Sarah Gladwin, Parent Support Coordinator by email at [email protected].

This is the campaigns page complete with previous statement... www.nct.org.uk/branches/richmond/current-campaigns so you can see we've not been keeping this to ourselves. That page has been up for months.

We will be updating this page and our news.

Thanks RichmondNCT for the statement. Good questions asked as well. Term time only provision at Windham is a poor compromise and still doesn't satisfactorily deal with the primary concerns of accessibility for drivers and non-drivers alike nor does it help a first-time mother who is juggling a new born right at the start of the summer holidays who lives on the other side of the borough from Ham!!! Completely ill thought out decision by the PCT, no wonder they kept it quiet until the decision was already made!!!

I actually walked over to Kew Hamlet/Richmond Royal to see what I could find out and in the meantime the Director of Operations got back to me with answers to questions 1 and 2. It corroborates what I found out from Kew Hamlet.

So, brief update:

? Baby clinics have already ended at Kew Hamlet/Richmond Royal The ceased at the end of the wk/c 6th February 2012.

? Baby Cafe drop-in breastfeeding support will continue at Kew Hamlet/Richmond Royal until it relocates to Sheen Lane some time in March.

? Current Universal Baby Clinics at Ham Clinic are running Monday afternoons 1.30pm ? 3.15pm and Thursday mornings 9.30am ? 11.15am.

? Apparently GPs and hospitals etc have been notified of the changes but a quick Google reveals many places have not updated their information.

? The HV team leader has been reported "that the parents all seem very happy with the new facilities at Ham and don?t appear to have issues with the move". We will be pointing out that asking those people who have managed to get there and who know about the move if they are happy, is not a robust or reliable way of checking if the services users as a whole are satisfied. Nor is anecdotal good evidence so please do complete our survey here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LNTW6P. We will be using this data as part of our campaign to influence positive changes.

We have also raised the issue of incorrect information posted on local parenting forums and information services and we will be surveying again in 3 months to see what parents' opinions of the service change is. We will be specifically asking parents if they have been able to reach the clinic and their opinions on journey times.

For anyone who does not have the address of the new clinic it is:

Ham Clinic
Ashburnham Road
Ham
TW10 7NE

It is accessible from Richmond on the 371 bus only and the stop is Ashburnham Road. The 65 will take you to the other side of Ham so do not try to get there using that bus. There is no rail service. For parents travelling from Kew you will need to travel in to Richmond and get the 371 or walk to any of the bus stops on the Mortlake Road from Manor Circus onwards. If you are travelling from East Sheen you can take any bus going to Richmond and alight at Eton Street. From there you will need to cross the road and take the 371 from outside Waitrose to Ham. If you are travelling to Barnes or Mortlake you can take the 419 towards Richmond and then change to the 371 on Mortlake Road at any point after Manor Circus.

Oh, and I will be at the Nearly New Sale tomorrow in Kew if anyone wants to come and rant with me discuss all things community NHS-wise

Listing in local. Come it will be brilliant. I am making lemon drizzle cake

A bump for anyone who's not seen the update and survey link. Please do complete the survey. 40 parents have already and the results are rather illuminating.

I have spent much of this morning talking to mums doing this face -> and talking baby clinc moves. AND I didn't even get any cake because I had a sausage sandwich I was so busy

I have done the survey. Link here for anyone who missed it: www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LNTW6P

By done it I mean I put it together. 70 responses so far!

I had no idea the only bus route was the 371. That is completely disasterous. I got this bus once from Kingston by mistake and it honestly took nearly an hour to get to Richmond. My DS had a total meltdown it took so long. I will never get on that bus again. You are right there is no way women will use this service.

It would not surprise me if HV were just to advise us to weigh/measure our DC ourselves.

Yes exactly my thoughts SSAS. I have had to feed DS on the bus because it takes so long but worse was the time I had to go up the hill with a nasty sprained ankle. I couldn't get the buggy on the bus with all the wheely shopping bags and pensioners going up 4 stops from Waitrose to Church Road and has to fold the buggy. It was horrendous.

It's not the most frequent service either.

I found out about this move a few weeks ago, the HV at Kew Foot road were telling people and handing out flyers. I live 5 mins walk from Kew Foot, so not happy about this at all!

I have been to the Ham clinic, the car park is pretty small (around 15 spaces?) but it was very quiet, probably because it was 930am in the half term holidays (had DM with me that week to help!)

As I had a twin with IUGR, I had to take her to be weighed every week for the first 8 weeks, which I could just about manage living so close to the clinic but there is no way I would have been able to get to Ham, couldn't drive due to c section, pretty much impossible to get the 371 with a double buggy when I couldn't lift the buggy onto the bus.

Without these weekly weighins I would have had much less information/knowledge about her weight gains which would have been potentially dangerous (she was way below the 0.4th centile, is now 2nd)

Richmond and Twickenham Times are sending a photographer down to The Pavillion Cafe in North Sheen Recreation ground at end of Dancer Road at 11.30am today if anyone wants to give a comment/be photographed regarding this??

I'm nothing to do with the paper but just know it's happening! There's a post on www.facebook.com/richmondnct about it.

Details of current clinics in the borough can be viewed here

The survey has now closed, results will be posted once numbers have been crunched. Thank you to everyone who completed.

Does anyone know if there has been any development with the rumoured clinic on Windham Road? Thanks!

I went to the Ham clinic today and they answered my question for me - there will be a clinic at Croft Childrens Centre on Windham Road in Kew on Wednesday mornings from 18 April onwards (term time only) which is great for me!

The Baby clinic will return to Richmond - Windham Road at the Croft Childrens Centre, TW9 2HP on Wednesays from 18 April 9.30am to 11.15am. [hooray]

Local branch of NCT have been updating their campaign's page here with details including full addresses and details of all moves: www.nct.org.uk/branches/richmond/current-campaigns

I think they're doing a statement shortly to clarify their position - ie if they're still battling and which clinics are nearest to which bits of Richmond and Kew and how to get there on public transport. There's a well-baby clinic the Richmond side of Twickenham that is probably easier to get to than Ham or The Croft if you're not walking distance to it.

Croft Childrens Centre term-time only btw. I think HRCH are still looking for another venue that's year-round.

"Croft Childrens Centre term-time only btw" Quite. And less than 2 hours