Latest goings on in Hammersmith & Fulham ....

Emergency gas works in Kings Road - Thursday February 04, 2010

Emergency works to replace a gas main in Kings Road, Fulham, started on Monday February 1, 2010.

The National Grid began repairing the 36 inch gas pipe at the junction of Rewell Street and will be on site for four weeks, until March 1.

Three way temporary traffic lights will be put in place in Kings Road during the works. 

A New Health Centre...

....designed to streamline emergency services and cut waiting times for patients has been launched at Charing Cross Hospital. The Fulham Centre for Health was opened by health leaders and top medical staff on January 19.The new primary care centre, located next to the A&E department of the hospital in Fulham Palace Road, has been created by Partnership for Health, a collaboration which includes NHS Hammersmith and Fulham and Imperial College Healthcare Trust.

Patients arriving at the Fulham Palace Road A&E with all but the most serious conditions now arrive at the 24-hour walk-in clinic first and are assessed by GPs and specialist nurses who decide on the best treatment for them. Partnership for Health joint medical director Dr Tim Ladbrooke said the 'streamlining' of patients freed up specialists to focus on life-threatening cases - as well as reducing patient waiting times.

"The vast majority of people are seen and dealt with within two hours," he said. "About 85 per cent of walk-in patients are dealt with by GPs and clinical nurses, and then the other 15 per cent - the most serious cases - go straight to A&E. "The new centre also acts as a normal GP surgery, with appointments available for registered patients between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week.

Partnership for Health head of operations Adam Duncan said: "While we are happy to see walk-in patients it is better for them if they are registered so we can offer them long-term care and they can access a wider range of services."The polyclinic includes 14 consulting rooms and two waiting rooms, one of which is used for overspill of patients from the main reception waiting area.

Dr Rachel Hines, one of two permanent GPs working at the polyclinic alongside a rotating pool of 'session' GPs, said she had observed a difference in the range of patients compared to a general practice. "You see more acute illnesses than normal and we don't get many elderly patients here - they tend to go straight through to A&E," she said. "Most of our patients tend to be younger people."

Walk-in patient Matthew Sankey, 37, who works in Hammersmith Broadway at the Disney offices, said he was impressed with the rapid service he received after gashing his finger at work."I was doing a mock-up for some packaging and I slipped with a scalpel," he explained. "I was probably waiting about half an hour to see the first guy, who made sure I wasn't dying, and then waited another 45 minutes to get treated."It's much better than other A&E departments, where you can literally get left waiting for hours."

The new polyclinic follows the opening of the Hammersmith Centre for Health at Hammersmith Hospital last April.

Bridge Works begins...

Major road works to improve traffic congestion in the borough began this week. Improvements in Hammersmith Bridge Road include a new bus barrier and toucan crossing, while pavement and road will be resurfaced. Work will continue until March 2010, and the bridge will be closed to all traffic in both directions every weekend from January 23 until March  15.

The first closure will be from 5am on January 23 to 5am on January 25, with these same times applying each weekend. The bridge will also be closed from February 13 to 22.

Residents living on both sides of the bridge will still be able to access their properties.

Diversions will be in place for buses 33, 72, 209, 283, 419, 485 and 609.

For details email Michael Masella or call him on 020 8753 3082