Webinar woes - A recap on the webinar saga

The webinar was announced as an opportunity for patients and service users who could not get to the two ‘Information & Discussion Events’ held at St Peter’s Hospital on 9 August and 9 September to hear about the proposed arrangements for the future provision of services currently provided at the Blanche Heriot Unit and to raise questions or concerns. The first date given for the webinar was Wednesday 13 September at 12 midday. However, this was cancelled at extremely short notice due, we were told, to technical problems but we were prmised a new date by close of play on that day. In the event notice of the rearranged webinar on 20 September at 5pm was not sent out until late morning on that day. We protested about the short notice as it meant that we were unable to publicise the webinar on the petition site. Later that day a further communication was received from Specialised Commissioning Directorate, NHS England (South) cancelling that webinar. (We hope you are following this). The reason given was that it had taken time for key speakers to confirm their availability leading to very late confirmation for patients and interested stakeholders. The email went on to say “we recognise that this short notice may restrict access for people wishing to join the call and therefore today’s webinar will not go ahead but will be held on Tuesday 26 September at 5pm. 3rd time lucky? So, folks, fingers crossed and third time lucky for Tuesday 26 September at 5pm The dial in details to join the call are: Conference call number: 0800 783 6753 Passcode: 27740802 It sounds as though participants will be taken through presentation slides first. We think this is unnecessary and simply cuts down the time available to participants to raise concerns and seek answers to the many questions they will have about how a reduced and less accessible service is going to meet their care needs. We know that the current plan (unless, even at this late hour, common sense prevails) is for Blanche Heriot Unit to close on 30 September. There will be limited provision of contraception and sexual health services at Woking Community Hospital, otherwise sexual health and HIV services will only be provided from Buryfields Clinic, Guildford or Earnsdale Clinic, Redhill. Patients with other genital conditions, including pain and skin conditions, will continue to be treated by Dr Pritchard at St Peter’s. We are pressing for patients living with HIV, who have co-morbidities or are physical frail or mobility impaired, to continue to be treated at St Peter’s by Dr Pritchard. We know that Buryfields is difficult to get to and has limited physical capacity. We have still not received satisfactory answers as to how it can possibly accommodate the 15,000 attendances that are seen each year at the Blanche Heriot Unit. No information has yet been provided on the frequency or location of satellite clinics to be set up somewhere in Runnymede and Spelthorne. Hopefully answers will be given to these and other questions at the webinar next Tuesday, but we wouldn’t bank on it given the commissioners’ and CNWL’s track record so far. Do sign up to the webinar and share your concerns. The more we voice, the more we show the dangers of losing BHU.