Whittington Hospital A&E still at risk, admit bosses

nlnews@archant.co.uk
29 July 2010

NHS bosses could STILL end up closing accident and emergency services at The Whittington Hospital, despite assurances by the coalition Government.

All the cuts considered by health chiefs for the hospital - including axing A&E, the maternity ward, intensive care unit and children's beds - are still on the table even though the review was halted by Conservative health secretary, Andrew Lansley.

This is because the hospital, in Magdala Avenue, Archway, is part of North Central London NHS, which still has to find ways of saving £560million per year across the sector by 2016-17.

North Central London NHS has admitted it is once again looking at "reconfigurations" to hospitals in Islington, Camden, Haringey, Enfield and Barnet.

Thousands of people marched through the streets against the proposed cuts at The Whittington in February, and Mr Lansley now says any proposed changes must be formulated by GPs rather than bureaucrats.

A new review will begin in September, but the savings still need to be made and alternative options are thin on the ground.

A North Central London NHS spokeswoman said: "We can't guarantee that hospitals will remain in their present form because that would be pre-empting GPs' decisions.

"GPs are going to play a major role in determining service changes. Changes to The Whittington could still happen."

In a bid to clarify the situation, the Defend The Whittington Hospital Coalition - which spearheaded the fight to save the hospital - wrote to the North Central London NHS demanding a guarantee that The Whittington's A&E, maternity ward, intensive care unit and children's beds would be kept.

But in his reply, NHS chief Stephen Conroy merely said that he "cannot comment on maintaining services unchanged as to do so could be interpreted as tying the hands of future GP commissioners".

Coalition chairwoman Shirley Franklin, who is today (Thursday, July 29) protesting outside the Department of Health, said: "Despite Andrew Lansley's promises to us, once again the hospitals in the north central London region are at risk.