Lewisham Hospital and South London Healthcare Trust final proposals revealed - update
Matthew Kershaw
Care Centre. I think this then means that other services are transfered to PRU.
7:10am Tuesday 8th January 2013 in NewsBy Mark Chandler
Matthew Kershaw
LEWISHAM Hospital will still lose its A&E under final health proposals revealed today.
Despite thousands of people protesting and wide opposition from health professionals and politicians, trust administrator Matthew Kershaw has announced there were no "viable alternative solutions" to his initial recommendations.
Under the plans:
- Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup will become a "hub" for health and social care.
- Funds will be provided to cover costs of the PFI contracts at Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich and the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRU) in Farnborough.
- Obstetric maternity care will be based at King's, the PRU, Queen Elizabeth and St Thomas's. Lewisham will have a midwifery-led unit.
- Lewisham will become an urgent care centre.
- The PRU will be acquired by King's College Hospital NHS Trust.
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital will come together with Lewisham to create a new health trust.
- £74.9m in efficiency savings, including staff cuts and operational savings.
- Dissolution of the trust on June 1. A three year transformation programme would be funded by £55.3m in Government money.
South London Healthcare NHS Trust was the first ever to be placed in administration after it started losing around £1.3 million a week.
Draft proposals to downgrade Lewisham's A&E and close its maternity services, along with making Sidcup's Queen Mary's Hospital a health campus, were revealed last year.
Trust special administrator Matthew Kershaw submitted his final report to health secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday.
He is due to make a decision by February 1.
Mr Kershaw denied today that the people of Lewisham - whose opposition had been overwhelming - had been ignored.
He said: "We make absolutely clear reference [in the report] to the strength of feeling from the people of Lewisham.
"We've been absolutely true to what people have said."
The adminstrator added: "There isn't a viable alternative solution made through that process."
He also admitted that the hospital system was currently under pressure, and said that changes would have to occur in the other sites, including an expansion of capacity at Queen Elizabeth and the Princess Royal, before action at Lewisham.
Mr Kershaw said: "I have said consistently that the status quo is not an option, and I believe these final, refined recommendations are the right ones, although I appreciate that some people will find them difficult to accept.
"I do believe that if implemented fully they will help deliver safe, high quality, affordable and sustainable services for the people of south east London into the future."
To see the full report go to www.tsa.nhs.uk
'Seriously flawed'
Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock said: "I feared all along that this process was set up to rush through ill-conceived proposals with no intention of listening to the views of local people, the people who use local health services and the people who work in our local health services. Today we have the confirmation.
"Mr Kershaw’s ears were closed. These were seriously flawed proposals in draft and they remain seriously flawed and dangerous proposals. The Secretary of State should reject them.
“I urge everyone who can to join the march on January 26 to show Jeremy Hunt how strongly we feel as a community about these proposals.”
A spokesman for Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust said: "Clearly, we cannot comment in detail on the report as we have not received a copy in advance, and need time to analyse it fully.
"We do support merging with Queen Elizabeth, which is one of the recommendations. However, we do not agree with the TSA’s prescriptive approach to service change, which would result in local emergency services being closed and maternity services being downgraded.
"As a successful organisation, we have said we would like to determine the future of services ourselves, and we would include proper engagement with stakeholders and the public.
"We are grateful for the support we have received from patients, the public, GPs, healthcare professionals, MPs and partners."
Unsion branch secretary at Lewisham Hospital Conroy Lawrence said: "Staff are shocked but not surprised by the report.
"We know the overwhelming majority of clinical and public responses opposed closure of Lewisham Hospital A&E and it is therefore fundamentally undemocratic to simply ignore that mandate as this report effectively does"
"We have every reason to believe the people of Lewisham will now redouble their efforts to defend what is a popular and well respected hospital, against what is nothing less than a political attack upon an inner city community."
Comments(10)
Polly Staight says...
8:42am Tue 8 Jan 13
8:42am Tue 8 Jan 13
And after a Three month period of public discussion...
...We are going to go ahead and shaft them again.
...We are going to go ahead and shaft them again.
greenjack says...
10:23am Tue 8 Jan 13
10:23am Tue 8 Jan 13
and I understand he has overspent investigating their overspend!! what a hypocritical waste of public money on something that has already been decided!!
hansmum says...
11:32am Tue 8 Jan 13
11:32am Tue 8 Jan 13
"Matthew Kershaw has announced there were no "viable alternative solutions" to his initial recommendations" Mr Kershaw had no intention of listening to the public. He was to go ahead with his proposals whatever the public had to say or suggest.
Gypo.Joe says...
11:45am Tue 8 Jan 13
11:45am Tue 8 Jan 13
Bend over grab a hold of ya ankles !!
Tmcd says...
12:31pm Tue 8 Jan 13
12:31pm Tue 8 Jan 13
As everyone says above, what was the point of the public discussion. The proposed closure of Lewisham A&E has been objected to by near enough all local councils and the public. It would be interesting to know what the cost difference would be between an "urgent care centre" and an A&E department?
greenjack says...
12:49pm Tue 8 Jan 13
12:49pm Tue 8 Jan 13
what has happened to the comments?
greenjack says...
12:51pm Tue 8 Jan 13
12:51pm Tue 8 Jan 13
OK, I can see them again now :)
goldenbroomboy says...
1:06pm Tue 8 Jan 13
1:06pm Tue 8 Jan 13
What about Beckenham Beacon?
Virtual-Monster says...
1:19pm Tue 8 Jan 13
1:19pm Tue 8 Jan 13
The biggest failure in all of this is that once again we are placing money above health of the people who live in Greenwich, Lewisham and Bexley.
Year on year, health care provision should be improving not being cut to the bone by bean counters who are just worried about pleasing their political masters.
We need improved health services in this area run by people who actually care about the people who need to access services.
Stop making health about money, health care should be about just that HEALTH and CARE!
Year on year, health care provision should be improving not being cut to the bone by bean counters who are just worried about pleasing their political masters.
We need improved health services in this area run by people who actually care about the people who need to access services.
Stop making health about money, health care should be about just that HEALTH and CARE!
greenjack says...
1:41pm Tue 8 Jan 13
1:41pm Tue 8 Jan 13
goldenbroomboy wrote:The proposal is that Beckenham Beacon is established as a Planned
What about Beckenham Beacon?
Care Centre. I think this then means that other services are transfered to PRU.
2 comments:
We need as many people as possible to come on the new rally on Saturday 26 January at 12 Midday, meeting opposite Lewisham station.
We also need offers of help to Steward and for people to carry banners. call George on 07972 223353for Stewards or Ray 07871187162 to offer to carry banners.
Whilst People before Profit is working with Labour to save our Hospital, we consistanly remind Voters that the reason for the area trust going bust, was a PFI contract set up by the Last Labour Goverment. The Labour Party still refuse to promise to scrap it when back in Goverment.
Labour Party has also refused to push for a Labour Party motion supporting the hospital or for the Labour Party to promise that if they were in Goverment, or win in 2015, they would reject the closure plans. we are also concerned that Labour may trade our A&E Department for cuts and closure in other NHS areas. Labour is clearly seeking to forget its roll in the mess or to confirm they will save the Hospital.. clearly they hope Lewisham Residents will be stupid and vote them back in next time before looking to closely as to why.
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