I have extensive experience of campaigning for the Liberal Democrats in the South East and in London. In Fetcham, Leatherhead, Guildford, Capel and Ash I have helped deliver leaflets and surveys, as well as in Surbiton, Battersea, Tooting and Ealing.
I single-handedly conducted a survey of various areas of Battersea, knocking on the doors of around 300 households in order to discover residents’ views on issues and local problems.
Health Care
One of the political issues that I feel particularly passionate about it is the NHS. There is a major threat to the local hospital of almost every Local Lib Dem Party that I have delivered leaflets for. This is disgraceful. With the country’s population growing rapidly we need more, not fewer hospitals.
I have set up an on-line petition to oppose the closure of Clapham’s Bolingbroke Hospital. I would be very grateful if you would visit the Downing Street website and sign it here. Below you can see a video clip of me in front of Epsom’s hospital, another victim of the Government’s cuts.
Update on Epsom Hospital - 8/5/08:
I was eventually granted a place at the consultation meeting that was held on 22nd April in relation to the future of the women and children's services.
Three options were outlined for the Trust's delivery wards and inpatient children's services:
Have these services on just 1 site (ie Epsom Hospital or St Helier Hospital in Carshalton),
Retain the services at both sites, or
A 'Partnerships' option.
Dr Ruth Charlton (Divisional Director of the Trust's Family Care) said during her presentation that "the status quo cannot be maintained beyond August 2009". This relates to the European Working Time Directive preventing junior doctors from working more than 48 hours per week.
The main reason the Trust give for considering closing Epsom's delivery ward and inpatient children's service is that although the services are safe, they do not meet the guidance of the Directive, and the recommendations of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Dr Martin Wake said during his presentation "At the nitty gritty this is about staff".
Mole Valley's population is growing. We need Epsom Hospital to access more staff so that it can retain its services that local people need.
At the meeting I asked Sam Jones, the Trust's CEO, whether she accepted that the fact that the travel time from Mole Valley to St Helier is longer than 20 minutes, could pose a threat to women who are trying to reach the delivery ward urgently. The Darzi report states that a journey of longer than 20 minutes may have an adverse effect.
When I asked Ms Jones this question at the March Trust Board meeting she had avoided answering it by telling me it would be answered at this consultation. In fact, she passed my question to a colleague to answer who apologised for not having information about travel times as promised.
I was later told by the colleague that the 20 minutes travel time relates to blue light journeys, ie transfers between hospitals when the woman is already in labour, rather than travel from the home to hospital before the woman is in labour. But of course, as I responded, the journey from the home could be a blue light one, the woman could be in labour, in which case the journey should not be longer than 20 minutes. I was promised that detailed information about travel times would be provided at the next consultation meeting.
Following the meeting I telephoned the Trust's Director of Communications and asked for more detail about the 'Partnerships' option. He informed me that the Chief Executive Officers of: Epsom & St. Helier NHS Trust, Surrey Primary Care Trust, and Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust are going to liase with other local Trusts to explore the option of sharing staff, in order to meet the guidance of the Directive and Royal Colleges.
I explained to the Director of Communications that I want to know details about this proposal when they are developed, but that I am pleased to hear that the Trust are exploring potential ways of preserving the services at Epsom. I shall keep you posted!
My petition opposing the threats to Epsom Hospital can be found on the counters of various shops in Leatherhead, so please do sign it. If you would be willing to collect signatures for me please send me an email (alice@alicehumphreys.com) or call me (07985 678276) and I will send you a petition sheet. I would be hugely grateful! I shall soon distribute the petition to other parts of Mole Valley.
Update on Epsom Hospital - 11/4/04:
During our protest last month Sam Jones, the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, handed me a leaflet advertising the 'pre-engagement' consultation meeting that is to be held on 22nd April.
The leaflet requires people to request from the Trust an invitation to the meeting if they wish to attend it. However, the Trust have refused myself and others invitations! When I emailed my request on 31st March, the Trust responded by claiming that there are no spaces left at the meeting for members of the public to attend! It said that if I wanted to attend I would be put on a reserve list.
I emailed Sam Jones the following:
"Dear Sam
As you can see below, I have been informed that there are no longer places at the engagement event on the 22nd and that I therefore cannot attend.
Please explain why a larger venue cannot be used in order to accomodate the people who wish to attend, such as myself?
The aim of the meeting, according to the leaflet you handed me on 7th March, is to "make sure local people and patients are able to feed into the review and make their views known". If this is genuinely the aim of the meeting, why are you not accomodating all those who wish to attend?
Alice Humphreys
(Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Mole Valley Liberal Democrats)"
I received a standard letter of reply, reiterating that I can be on the reserve list, and stating that more spaces may become available.
As I said in my press release, according to the leaflet advertising the meeting, the purpose of the meeting is to ensure local people are able to make their views known. How can we do this if we are not allowed to attend?"
It seems the Trust have organised the 'pre-engagement' meeting with the aim of as few people attending as possible. They arranged that it take place during working hours, we must request an invitation before we can order a ticket, and we are not informed of the location of the meeting until we are granted a ticket. Now people are being refused admission altogether! Are the Trust genuinely interested in consulting on the fate of our services or are they just going through the motions to comply with their requirement to 'consult'?
I have decided to organise a petition in Mole Valley opposing the threats to Epsom's delivery ward and inpatient childrens services. Please let me know if you would be willing to try to get some signatories. I can post you a sheet or two. I would be really grateful for your help!
Update on Epsom Hospital - 18/3/08:
Protest
Many thanks to those who attended our protest on 7th March outside Epsom Hospital, and the Trust's Board meeting that followed. We met at 8.45am for the protest in the wind and rain, so I was particularly impressed with those that attended. Many cars driving past showed their support by beeping their horns, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust and her Director of Communications came out and spoke to us, informing us of the 'pre-engagement' consultation event that is to be held in April.
Board meeting
After the protest we attended the Board meeting, along with many mothers and Epsom and Ewell's Chris Grayling MP who has done an impressive amount of campaigning on this issue. No major decisions were made at the Board meeting in relation to women's and children's services, but we were informed that St Helier Hospital is actively recruiting midwives and that the Trust has recently recruited two.
The Finance Director reported that although the Trust made a loss last year "Our income is ahead of our budgeted income" which was positive news. It begs the question why the Trust is considering closing services when its finances are becoming more and more healthy.
It was announced at the meeting that Ruth Harrison has stood down from her role as manager of the review of the Trust's women's and children's services. This followed press reports that linked her previous employment in Buckinghamshire to the review at the Trust. Ms Harrison is to be replaced by Nick Relph.
At the end of the Board meeting there was an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions. I told the Board: "It takes at least twice as long to get from my family's home in Leatherhead to St Helier than to Epsom. Crucially, the journey to St Helier takes more than 20 minutes. Do you accept that this extra time, whether it is spent in an ambulance or car, could have a detrimental effect on the safety of deliveries, particularly considering that the Darzi report says that a transfer taking more than 20 minutes may have an adverse effect?" The Chief Executive Officer simply answered that travel times will be discussed during the consultation.
Consultation
Professor Ian John Lewis has been appointed the Independent Clinical Chair of the review. He will direct the review, and make proposals through the Project Board to Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust, and Surrey Primary Care Trust. Although his review relates only to the women's and children's services at Epsom and St Helier hospitals, any changes proposed by the review require the agreement of all three trust boards. There will be a public consultation on any such proposals before the three trust boards are asked to make a decision on them.
Before the public consultation begins a 'pre-engagement' process is taking place, following which proposals for the public consultation will be formed. The 'pre-engagement process' involves meetings with clinical staff at the hospitals, and meetings with invited members of the public.
On Tuesday 22nd April a meeting with the public will be held in Sutton from 10am-2pm. If you wish to attend, you must request an invitation by emailing shelley.court@epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk, or by calling 020 8296 2406. I urge you to do so if you are available. It is an opportunity to get your voice heard.
Update on Epsom Hospital – 24/2/08:
Epsom Hospital is considering closing the delivery ward in its maternity unit, and its inpatient children’s service. These services would be concentrated at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton. A public consultation on the matter will soon begin.
The reason given for the possible change
Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust claims that although Epsom’s services are currently safe, they do not meet the recommended standards of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. John Davey, the Chairman of the Trust’s Board, has said that this is the main reason for the Trust considering the merger.
Meeting with John Davey
I am very concerned about the threat and have been working with the local campaign group ‘Hope for Women and Children’ who oppose the possible merger. I have also spoken to the Trust’s Divisional Director for Womens’ and Childrens’ Services.
I had a meeting with John Davey and explained to him my views. He informed me that the Trust is in the process of recruiting more staff to help meet the recommended standards. I explained that safety is of paramount importance, and that the Trust could and should continue to recruit more staff in the long-term. By doing this, the safety standards would be met and the services could remain at Epsom. Some consultants at the Hospital have produced a Financial Plan that shows that this is financially viable for the Trust.
The disadvantages of merging the services in question
The population that Epsom Hospital serves is going to increase over the next few years. Many new homes are being built in the area. Local people need these services at Epsom now more than ever. It is madness that the Trust are considering forcing us to travel to St Helier for them. According to Multimap, it takes 9 minutes to travel by car from my family’s home in Leatherhead to Epsom Hospital. Yet it takes more than twice as long, 21 minutes, to travel to St Helier in Carshalton. If a woman was in labour, trying to get to a delivery ward, those minutes would be crucial. In terms of the children's services, it would be inconvenient for parents to have to travel to Carshalton if their child was in St Helier’s inpatient paediatric unit, rather than in Epsom’s.
Protest
I am joining the campaign to fight the threatened change and would like as many people as possible, no matter what their political affiliation, to attend the next Trust Board meeting on Friday 7th March at Epsom Hospital.
We can sit in the public gallery and ask questions at the end. You need not stay for the whole meeting. Just the presence of many residents at the beginning will send a message to the Board. We will have a peaceful demonstration outside the Hospital between 8.45am and 9.15am, then attend the Board meeting at 9.30am. Please meet at the entrance to the Hospital’s car park. Please come. It is really important that we show the Board that we do not want these services removed from Epsom.
Capel Incinerator
I am strongly opposed to the proposal for a waste incinerator to be built in Capel.
Such an incinerator not only would increase traffic levels around Capel and be detrimental to the landscape’s appearance, but it would cause damage to the environment through the emissions it would produce.
Furthermore, the excellent and relentless campaigning on this issue by the Capel Action Group (CAG) has highlighted the potentially dangerous effect that the emissions could have on the health of local people. For these reasons amongst others, I oppose the proposal.
I attended the public meeting that CAG held in February 2008. After the meeting I asked one of the leading members of CAG how I could help the campaign. I suggested I organise a meeting with the relevant officers at Surrey County Council who are dealing with the proposal, in order to lobby the Council directly. He agreed I should do this.
After submitting my views to the County Council's consultation on the issue, I and my colleague Cllr Iain Murdoch prepared various questions for the meeting, greatly assisted by local campaigners Bob Whitley and Phil Rogers.
The meeting took place on 7th March and lasted almost 2 hours. Iain and I made clear the reasons why we and many local residents oppose the proposed incinerator plan. The main reason that we pushed was the potential health threat resulting from the PM2.5 particulates emissions that would be produced.
Frustratingly, the County Council officers insisted that they are unable to answer whether health threats from PM2.5s exist, until they have received the response of the Health Protection Authority and Environment Agency to the letter of consultation they are soon to send these bodies. This was despite us highlighting that the World Health Organisation has stated that there is no safe limit of these particulates (quote taken from literature produced by CAG). When we argued that being under the Gatwick flight path is likely to spread the pollution, they conceded that “that is something that will need to be looked into.”
I asked to be sent a copy of the Health Protection Authority’s response once they have received it. They would not commit to doing this. I have and will continue to lobby them to supply me with it, and will make an application under the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations if necessary.
During the meeting we expressed our concern that if the incinerator is built, it will dispose of waste not only from Surrey, but from other areas as well, increasing the traffic and pollution problems that the facility will create. The officers insisted that the plan was only for an incinerator that would dispose of Surrey’s waste. However, they admitted that the company owning the incinerator could apply for permission to enlarge the facility and dispose of waste from beyond Surrey.
There are alternatives to the proposed plan. CAG have shown that waste can be disposed of using methods that are much less threatening to the environment and to health. One such method is plasma gasification.
It is disgraceful that the Council seems likely to adopt a plan that could cause harm to health and the environment. Capel is a beautiful part of Surrey with farm land, villages and towns near by. It is clearly highly unsuitable as a site for waste disposal.
Ian and I outside Surrey County Council in Kingston following our meeting
Affordable Housing
The lack of affordable housing in Mole Valley and many other parts of the country is also a major concern. It is crucial that we combat this problem, whilst protecting our Green Belt land. Please see the video-clip below of me in Leatherhead talking about this issue.
Environment
Despite David Cameron waving a ‘save the environment’ flag, no trips to glaciers or photos of him on a bike can provide the Tories with the substantive green policies that the Lib Dems have had for decades. Cameron’s green politics is vote-winning rhetoric, with few actual commitments or policies. For the Lib Dems green politics is about dedication to saving the environment for our children.
In contrast to Labour and the Tories, the Lib Dems have always been strongly in favour of increasing recycling. Mole Valley District Council has been selected to run a research project into the recycling of food waste. The project is being conducted with about 4000 properties and will run until the end of March 2008. Participating households have received two containers for their food waste; these are emptied every week by dedicated vehicles. Below is a video of clip of me talking to the Cauwe family. They live in Fetcham and are one of the households taking part in the pilot project.
Crime
Another campaign that I particularly support is the fight against crime and the fear of it. Mole Valley enjoys a relatively low crime rate, but violent crime in the country overall has doubled in the past eight years. Young men (aged between 15 and 24) are the most likely to commit crime.
I strongly support the Lib Dem policy of scrapping the Government’s plans for ID cards and investing the huge amount of money they would cost on recruiting 10,000 more police officers and 20,000 more community support officers.
I am also a big supporter of our policy on community sentences. 92% of youth offenders who serve short prison sentences reconvict. One of our policies is to replace short sentences (ie those of a few weeks or months) with longer and rigorous community sentences for offenders who pose no threat to their community and who have committed only a minor offence.
Britain has one of the highest re-offending rates in Europe. This is appalling. Research suggests that offenders are 3 times more likely to re-offend if they do not participate in education and training, and only 1 in 5 of our prisoners are literate enough to complete a job application form when they leave prison. It is therefore not surprising that only 10% of them enter employment on release, and many re-offend.
I feel particularly passionate about our policy to improve the education and training that prisoners receive. The Liberal Democrats want to expand young offender institutions and establish them as secure education and training centres, so that offenders aged under 21 have access to full-time education and training. We want education inspection bodies to assess prison education to ensure it is of good quality, and we would massively expand the opportunities for prisoners to take part in prison work schemes. These policies would mean that when offenders are released from prison, they are much more likely to pursue a career rather than a crime.
Education
My history of campaigning proves my dedication and determination. As Education Officer of Nottingham University ’s Students’ Union I ran several campaigns. One was to fight Labour’s university top-up tuition fees. I organised a petition, protests and a letter-writing campaign that sent 500 letters to Downing Street. I had meetings with the Secretary of State and Education Minister, and was interviewed on television and on the radio.
I believe education is the key to combating so many of society’s ills. In particular, I support the Lib Dem’s policy of scrapping the Child Trust Fund that gives a windfall payment to 18 year olds, and investing the money that would be saved in recruiting more teachers and reducing school class sizes.
