FROM 6 A & Es to JUST TWO IN 10 YEARS

Accident & Emergency departments in the outer south east London area in the process of reducing in number from six to just two in 10 years.

When Orpington Hospital lost its A&E in 2000 the local residents were assured by the Hospital’s Board that Bromley Hospital and Farnborough Hospital would cover the extra work and that there were no further closures planned. When Bromley Hospital closed in its entirety in 2003 the local residents were assured by the Hospital’s Board that Beckenham Hospital and the rebuilt Farnborough Hospital would cope and that there were no further closures planned. Now we have recommendations to close two more A&Es from Queen Mary’s and Lewisham.

There are well over 1,000,000 people living and working in the area covered by these four hospitals and the recommendation to service the A&E needs of these patients in just two hospitals is madness.

The recent briefing on behalf of the Primary Care Organisations and Hospital Trusts in the outer south east London area states that “everyone is very excited about the opportunity…” and that “…a move towards two hospitals would be preferred to deliver maximums benefits in terms of improving patient care.” These are the comments of the senior clinicians who are supposed to have the health needs of the local people first and foremost. But they don’t…they have finance.

Despite Queen Mary’s A&E treating tens of thousands of patients each year, including over 20,000 children, it is in the firing line for closure. Once the A&E unit closes, the maternity unit will close. We will then lose the intensive care unit. All the buildings at the top of the site will then become redundant and we will see the land sold of for residential development as happened at Orpington Hospital and Bromley Hospital.

Fifty years ago we were slowly building a National Health Service, free for all, that was becoming the envy of the world, putting patients first. Now, piece by piece that same health service is being dismantled by governments of both hues and senior clinicians, who are putting finance first and patients second.

We are all entitled to proper medical care within reasonable reach. We will all, wherever we live, end up travelling further in an emergency (as well as for planned treatment), with an increased risk of mortality . This must not be allowed to happen.