A delegation from the Union of Orthodox
Hebrew Congregations met last week with the senior management of the Homerton
Hospital in order to discuss matters of concern to the community with
particular regard to hospital care.
The Union delegation included Dayan S.
Friedman, Dayan
A. D. Dunner, Councilor H. J. Lobenstein MBE, Mr. C. E.
Kerenkraut
and Mr. R. R. Bergmann JP.
The senior management team of Homerton
Hospital was
led by the Acting Chief Executive, Nancy Hallett, and
included the
head of quality standards, a representative of the head of
nursing
and a representative of the religious support and press
publicity
units.
Councilor Lobenstein, a Vice President of the
Union
and chairman of its External Affairs Committee, expressed the
anxiety
of the orthodox Jewish community with particular regard to
elderly
patients who often feel "sidetracked" in the provision of
medical care.
Councilor Lobenstein emphasized that he was
not criticizing
Homerton Hospital in particular but this meeting was taking
place
at the hospital which is local to the Union's membership and
as part
of a wider campaign to address the concerns of the community
arising
out of adverse newspaper and media reports concerning lack of
treatment
and medication. In particular, he asked for clarification
from the
hospital as to its policy in treating elderly and terminally
ill patients.
Dayan Friedman and Dayan Dunner both
emphasized the
sanctity of life irrespective of the age of the patient.
Mr. Kerenkraut pointed out that he was a very
regular
visitor to the hospital and enjoyed an excellent relationship
with
the consultants and their medical and nursing teams although
he did
plead for an improvement in commitment from more junior and
nursing
staff.
The Acting Chief Executive, Nancy Hallett,
underlined
the hospital's commitment to the elderly who are a valued
part of
the community and she described how the hospital had, in
recent months,
built up services for the elderly including the appointment
of three
consultants for "elderly care" with a new senior team.
Indeed, 50% of the hospital beds are occupied
by patients
over the age of 70.
Councilor Lobenstein suggested regular
training sessions
for medical and particularly nursing staff in order to make
them more
aware of the particular requirements, practices and needs of
the Orthodox
Jewish community. The suggestion was warmly welcomed by the
chief
executive.
Mr. Kerenkraut, however, emphasized the vital
necessity
of the community having someone "on the spot" to deal with
urgent matters requiring more intensive medical involvement
arising
out of the religious requirements of the Orthodox Jewish
community
with particular regard to the sacrosanct emphasis on the
sanctity
of life.
As a practical way to address the various
issues,
Mr. Bergmann suggested the appointment of a "liaison body"
consisting of representatives of the hospital and
representatives
of the Orthodox Jewish community which should meet on a
regular basis
and which would both address these problems.
Such a body would also monitor the training
requirements
of medical and nursing staff and would also act as the
referral point
for members of the community and in particular patients and
their
families with regard to situations requiring further help.
This suggestion
was welcomed and readily adopted by the hospital
management.
