Ealing Hospital SOS

According to the secret North West London Commissioning Partnership strategic plan for 2009-2014, a blueprint of the administration of health services, it states: "The sector is actively promoting and supporting the concept of the Integrated Care Organisation,
bringing the services of NHS Ealing and NHS Harrow together with Ealing Hospital
Trust.

"The provider services of NHS Brent are likely to join this organisation and this will promote an innovative locally based model of community provision.

"All involved acknowledge that this will, over time, reduce the level of acute services on the Ealing site and they will be transferred or tendered to other acute provider management to ensure their clinical and financial viability.

"This acute activity change will enhance the viability of the surrounding acute hospitals."

Further, a letter in response to the proposals, written by Alistair Finney, Deputy Director of Service Transformation, refers to a 'requirement of North West London to have three major acute hospital sites' (out of a total of eight) and 'plans should signal the intention to develop proposals for a single major acute site run by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in inner NWL'.

Mr Finney writes: "There has been good clinical engagement across the sector to date and I appreciate that it would be impossible to secure the support of the clinical community for fewer than three Major Acute Hospitals (MAH).

"You have helpfully agreed to refer to a 'maximum of three' MAHs in order to prepare the ground for the next stage.

"A similar approach to finalising proposals for other hospital settings should be reflected in the sector's plan, helping to prepare the ground for changes to the current configuration."

These documents have sparked outrage, controversy and mass denial and now a community campaign has been launched to help 'Save Our Services' urging everyone in the borough to fight for Ealing Hospital.

Dr Stephen Ash , Chair of the Medical Staff Committee, said: "This strategy will reduce local services and relocate them to central London hospitals.

"Sick patients will need to be transferred many miles by road, causing critical delays in their treatment.

"Local people will also have dramatically reduced access to a lower number of centralised services and beds to treat them.

"There is also no evidence to show that the smokescreen of polyclinics offered by NHS London as part of these plans to replace hospitals will save money and they do not replace the range of services Ealing is able to offer its local population currently.

"We find this concept dangerous, alarming and unacceptable to the population that we serve."

John Chase, 71, of Queens Gardens, Pitshanger, who regularly attends Ealing Hospital, said: "I was very, very unwell two years ago.

"The fact that I was able to go immediately to Ealing Hospital and be seen within minutes meant that my life was saved.

"We should be getting improved services, offering high quality locally based care that everyone can get to easily, not cutting back."

The Save Our Services at Ealing Hospital campaign group, backed by The Ealing Gazette, is calling on everyone in the borough to sign a petition and make their voices heard in opposition to these proposals.

They will be organising a series of public meetings, liaising with politicians to challenge the proposals and will be launching an information campaign via their website and
Facebook.

Comments can be emailed to ealingsos@googlemail.com

Letters can be written to Ealing hospital SOS Campaign, C/o 27 Osterley gardens, Chevy Road, Norwood Green, UB2 4UW

Information accessed via Facebook by clicking http://www.facebook.com/n/?group.php&gid=342085015609&mid=1e369b6G1f85103cG41a809aG6 and the petition signed by clicking http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SaveEalingsAandE/

NHS LONDON RESPONSE:
"There are no firm plans to change hospital services in North West London at present. The leaked document represents an early dialogue with NHS London.

"Any firm proposals are some months away and will be fully consulted upon.

"The claim that 11 A&Es could close is completely unfounded and represents a misunderstanding of what an A&E is and does.

"All London's major acute hospitals - those that provide specialist care - and Local Hospitals - those that provide a wide range of all but the most complex emergency hospital services - will have 24/7 A&E departments.

"At present there are only plans around three A&Es - Chase Farm in Enfield, Queen Mary's Sidcup and King George's in Ilford.

"Other than those three, any further plans to change A&E in London will be subject to full and formal consultation and we do not expect that to take place before Autumn 2010 at the earliest.

"NHS London has also been at pains to point out that there are no plans to close any hospitals in London as a consequence of the Healthcare for London plans.

"The services offered may change to become more convenient to patients by providing some hospital care through polyclinics or 'super-surgeries'.

"London will have more than 100 polyclinics in the next few years and already has ten up and running. "Advances in modern medicine also means we can save more lives if we concentrate specialist services, such as stroke and major trauma, in fewer centres with the best technology and highly trained clinicians.

"For accurate information about what is proposed for London, visit the NHS London website at www.london.nhs.uk, the Healthcare for London website at www.healthcareforlondon.nhs.uk, or follow NHS London on Twitter www.twitter.com/NHSLondonSHA.

NORTH WEST LONDON PCTs AFFECTED BY PROPOSALS:

EALING
BRENT
HAMMERSMITH & FULHAM
HARROW
HILLINGDON
HOUNSLOW
KENSINGTON & CHELSEA
WESTMINSTER

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