Letter to Bromley Times, published 17th April

It is unfortunate that Bromley Hospital's NHS Trust should be supporting all three of the A Picture of Health options but nothing short of an obscenity that the Trust directors and chief executive are backing option 3. This is the option that would see both Queen Mary's and Lewisham lose their A & Es. The tragic plane crash at Farnborough recently shows the need to have several A & E's locally and not just two with one under the flight path. Furthermore, Queen Mary's and Lewisham's loss is the Princess Royal's gain as under the controversial payment by results plan the more A & E patients that the PRUH can treat the more they get paid. When one also factors in the aim to reduce the average length of stay within the PRUH by 34% then one gets the distinct feeling that the Trust is putting saving money first and clinical need last.