Likely closure of Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup’s A&E is a huge kick in the teeth of the Hospital’s League of Friends

PRESS RELEASE from
Independents to save Queen Mary’s Hospital
Embargoed until 9.00am Monday 29th Oct. 2007

Over the last year £200,000 has been spent on improving the children’s accident and emergency department at Queen Mary’s Hospital. The new unit has round the clock paediatric medical and nursing care on site. With more than 21,000 children being seen each year this busy department would be lost if the main accident and emergency unit closes. This would be a complete waste of the £200,000 spent on this much improved child-friendly environment as well as a complete dereliction of care to these children.

Commenting on this likely closure, party leader of Independents to save Queen Mary’s Hospital, John Hemming-Clark, commented, “This is, at the very least, a slap in the face for the children of the local area who are just getting used to this wonderfully upgraded facility but it’s also a huge kick in the teeth of the Hospital’s extremely active and well regarded League of Friends. An extensive cadre of volunteers meant that they were able to contribute £100,000 towards the project. Money that, if the A & E is closed, has effectively been poured down the drain. It is paramount that the A & E remains open and my party will do all that it can to ensure that it does.”

The fast-disappearing A & Es. From 6 to just 2?

If and when I need the accident and emergency unit of my hospital, I want it to be nearby. I don't want it to be miles away, I want it to be within reach in order to treat me quickly and efficiently. This is slowly but surely turning out not to be the case in the future if nothing is done NOW.

Just a few years ago we had SIX local accident and emergency units in the south-east London area. First of all we lost Orpington Hospital's, then we lost Bromley Hospital's (in fact we lost Bromley Hospital altogether) and now up to two more A&Es are under threat.

The most under threat is Queen Mary's, Sidcup, used by thousands of patients either side of the A20, followed - in no particular order - by Farnborough, Woolwich and Lewisham.

The debate has hardly begun but the sentiment is clear: We do not want to lose any more A&Es and we will not put up with any closures.

The battle has started. It is going to be a long, if not indefinite, battle to ensure that there is NO reduction or closing of hospital services.

Please give us your support. We're going to need it.

A new political party has been formed to fight to keep open Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup’s Accident and Emergency Department

PRESS RELEASE from
Independents to save Queen Mary’s Hospital

Embargoed until 9.00am Monday 22nd Oct. 2007

A new local political party has been formed, based in Chislehurst, with the aim of maintaining and subsequently, improving, services for local people, including the local health provision, for those people who come under the outer S E London hospital Trusts’ area. It will be independent of all national political parties and elected representatives will be free of the constraints imposed by the whips of other parties.

The forming of the new party, named Independents to save Queen Mary’s Hospital, has come about as a result of a recent clinical review that is looking at closing up to two local A&E units, with Queen Mary’s Hospital’s likely to be the first to go.

There will be candidates fielded at the next London Borough and General Elections. John Hemming-Clark, a Chislehurst resident, will be standing in the Chislehurst ward and Bromley & Chislehurst constituency respectively. Candidates are being sought for neighbouring constituencies.

Commenting on the forming of the new party, John Hemming-Clark said,

“This new party is dedicated to the improvement of local services in all areas of concern to the community. It will put people before politics, with loyalties to the local population rather than political parties.

We are all entitled to proper medical care within reasonable reach. The well-respected international peer review journal for health professionals and researchers in emergency medicine Emergency Medical Journal reported in September that, “Increased journey distance to hospital appears to be associated with increased risk of mortality.” For those whose nearest hospital is Queen Mary’s and maybe also another local hospital, they will be at increased risk, in an emergency, if the A&E closes.

This scandalous situation cannot be allowed to happen. We are at real danger of losing our local A&Es yet the local politicians are just not prepared to put their heads over the parapet. They do not live near the hospital(s) at risk (the Chief Executive of Queen Mary’s lives in Surrey), but we do and we are not prepared to see the A&Es close.

My two children were both born at Queen Mary’s and without the A&E back-up neither of them would have received the emergency back-up that they required at their births.

At the next General Election every vote for an Independents to save Queen Mary’s Hospital candidate is a vote to save our local hospitals. If elected, your MP would legitimately be able to demand, on your behalf, that a full review be commissioned by the Health Secretary, enabling steps to be taken to prevent any further deterioration in services in any of the hospitals in or near the Bromley & Chislehurst constituency.”