Battle over hospital downgrade
Wednesday May 20, 2009
A formal objection to the shake-up of health services threatening Charing Cross Hospital has been submitted by council bosses.
The changes, proposed by Healthcare for London, have drawn anger from Hammersmith & Fulham Council's leader, who says the proposals amount to 'closure by stealth' of the highly-regarded hospital in Fulham Palace Road.
The plans will see new trauma units and stroke centres set up in a number of London hospitals.
However, Charing Cross has been rejected as a site for one of the four trauma centres in favour of St Mary's Paddington, and it seems likely that it would eventually also lose the stroke centre to St Mary's.
"These plans will lead to the downgrading of Charing Cross Hospital from a regional specialist hospital to a community hospital that provides only local services," says H&F Council leader Stephen Greenhalgh.
"This amounts to closure by stealth and is clearly not in the interests of anyone living in west London.
"Neurosciences and neurosurgery, which are essential to both trauma and stroke services, are world class at Charing Cross.
"St Mary's has no neurosurgery department and requires major investment to set one up. "
This idea is not cost-effective, especially at this challenging time for public finances."
Critics also point out that St Mary's is only two miles from one of the other proposed new stroke units at University College Hospital.
Ambulance travel times are also essential in saving stroke patients' lives. However, the London Ambulance Service has been unable to provide an assessment of ambulance travel times for taking patients in the borough (or even from neighbouring areas of Ealing and Hounslow) to St Mary's in Paddington rather than Charing Cross.
But a spokeswoman for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Charing Cross and St Mary's, says the new services are part of a Londonwide programme that aims to save 500 lives a year.
She said: "We are committed to providing the highest quality neuro and stroke services to local residents.
"We have submitted plans for the development of two completely new services.
"From whichever site these new services are provided in future, the trust will continue to provide neurology and stroke services at Charing Cross.
"The stroke services will include post 72-hour stroke care, rehabilitation and outpatient services.
"We recognise the benefits of co-locating these specialist services, which would mean major trauma, hyper acute stroke services and specialist brain surgery are housed on a single site."
