Good news at last on primary school places. Following a suggestion from a Belsize parent, Camden Council has secured the use of classrooms for up to 90 children at the HampsteadHillSchool site in Courthope Road in Gospel Oak. It’s not ideal – Courthope Road is too far to the east – but it’s a lot better than nothing. Parents are to be congratulated for their patience, determination and ingenuity. If Camden had stuck to its Plan A – temporary classrooms on state school sites – then we certainly wouldn’t have had a solution for September.
The new site will be directly managed by Camden’s Education Dept and will be open to all those children still unplaced. With 60+ pupils on the site it should be easier to persuade the government of the need to fund a new primary school or expand existing schools in the area. Please could as many of you as possible reply positively to the consultation: http://camden.xarg.co.uk/surveys/respond?survey_id=365476 If you have any detailed questions about the plan, then please do get in touch.
Healthcare for London recently consulted on proposals to improve stroke services in London by ensuring that all Londoners live within 30 minutes’ ambulance drive of world-class specialist services. The aim is that all Londoners should be assessed, diagnosed and treated within 30 minutes of arriving at hospital. It is proposed that there should be a network of eight Hyper Acute Stroke Units across London, including one at University College Hospital in Camden. These units will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is also proposed that the Royal Free, should be part of a network of local stroke units across London. The excellent unit already in place there will not be downgraded at all.
These proposals were prepared by Healthcare for London, and drafted by an expert panel involving clinicians. They were endorsed by Andrew Way, the Chief Executive of the Royal Free. It was therefore really disappointing that Labour and Tory councillors have been falsely suggesting that the proposals are bad for the Royal Free. What a dreadful example of politicians using the NHS as a way of getting cheap headlines!
