Fears rise for the closure of A&E at St Helier Hospital
The decade-long battle to save an 85-year-old hospital has taken another turn after
health chiefs revealed they want to axe its emergency ward.
Campaigners think people in Merton would be worse off and could even die if accident and emergency care is closed down at St Helier Hospital in Wrythe Lane.
The eight-year-old Keep Our St Helier Hospital (KOSHH) is campaigning to
keep acute treatment at both St Helier and Epsom hospitals.
But health chiefs last week told NHS England they want to provide care for the
sickest and most at-risk patients at just one hospital out of three – Epsom, St Helier
or Sutton.
And they want a new ward at Sutton, with A&E, acute medicine, critical care, emergency surgery, hospital births and a children’s ward.
Sandra Ash from the KOSHH campaign group said: “Most people will have further to travel if there is just one ward.
“And some people could even die because of the greater journey times.
“In London, distances don’t have to be that long to make a difference, because of
the congestion.
“This would have a considerable impact on local people. If a hospital loses its A&E, that is what hospitals get money for.
“If you take away its major source of income it is not long before it is deemed no longer financially sustainable.”
The leader of Merton council has vowed to fight for St Helier to retain all of its wards.
A pre-consultation business case has been put to NHS England by three Clinical
Commissioning Groups (CCG) for Merton, Sutton and Surrey Downs. The three CCGs will meet in public to decide on their preferred option which will trigger formal public consultation.
Councillor Stephen Alambritis said: “I’m extremely disappointed that the trust and the CCG appear to prefer an option that would remove essential services at St Helier.
“This is despite the overwhelming evidence of local need, and the clear opposing voice of Merton’s residents.”
A statement from the Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust claims 85 per cent of treatment would be at the other two hospitals. – urgent treatment centres, outpatients, day case surgery, antenatal and postnatal clinics, chemotherapy and dialysis.
The trust said: “It describes in detail the process to identify a compelling case for change, why do nothing is not tenable, and the proposals for change and the implications.”
It adds that this latest submission is not a consultation document and is just to “bring everyone up to speed”.
Sutton council leader Councillor Ruth Dombey has backed the plans. She said: “We are ambitious for Sutton and this announcement signals another significant milestone along the journey to improve the health and well-being of the residents in our borough.
“The London Cancer Hub, a partnership between the council, the Royal Marsden and the Institute of Cancer Research will put Sutton on the world map for cancer treatment and research.
“I hope the submission from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust will further improve services in the borough for all our hospital patients, including emergency cases and those most at-risk.”
—
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing:
“A FREE COUNTRY NEEDS A FREE PRESS, AND THE NEWSPAPERS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURE”
If you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can make a donation which will allow us to continue to bring stories to you, both in print and online. Or please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ
WHY is Sr. Hlier A&E deoartment to be closed along wiwth AMU and \ASU. this will leave the people of Merton with NO emergency service cover. St. Georges hospital is further way, and is alkready over used they cannot cope with the goverment 4 hour emergency wait, and are only just out of ”Special measures”,
Does no one care or listen to the people who will be most affected by this stupid idea.
Why is there to be a new hospital built in Sutton, they had one of their own which they closed and then sold the ground to a school. BELMONT is NOT in the main area of Sutton, it is at least 20 minutes from the town centre. As for telling us that it won;t take any longer to get there than it does to get to St. Helier, this is a blatant lie, it will take me at least 30 minutes longer than it takes
to get to St. Helier.
Obviously whoever makes these decisions has no idea of the needs of Merton. This is one of the largest outer London boroughs, and is being very badly treated by this decision.
I doubt anyone concerned with this decision will have the courtesy to reply to my lketter and the questions I have raised.
I have received a letter this morning from PALS saying that there is no intention of closing A&E and it;s wards, so who are we to believe??.