Charing Cross downgrade is reality
Tuesday March 8, 2011
Fears are growing that Hammersmith's Charing Cross Hospital is being systematically downgraded by the NHS trust which runs it after it stopped providing vascular surgery.
Expert vascular surgeons have been moved to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington after the trust admitted that its surgical ward was not re-opened after a severe 'bacterial infection' last December.
Vasculary surgery
A spokeswoman from Imperial College NHS Trust confirmed the decision to move the vascular surgeons to Paddington by saying: "The trust has decided to merge complex vascular surgery onto the St Mary's site, which will benefit patients with complex arterial disease from all around the north west of London by making their treatment safer and more effective.
"The trust will continue to provide routine vascular services at Charing Cross, including varicose vein treatment, outpatient consultations and diagnostic tests," she added.
But H&F Council leader Stephen Greenhalgh reacted angrily to the news of the surgical move from Charing Cross. "I am very concerned at the lack of consultation over the relocation of vascular surgery to Paddington," he said. "We have been provided with no evidence that this move will lead to improved patient care or that St Mary's will be able to cope with the demand for beds."
» Read the council's letter to the hospitals' trust
» Read the council's letter to the Secretary of State for Health
When the trust was asked how moving the surgeons to St Mary's would make the treatments 'safer and more effective', the spokeswoman said that the newly-enhanced service at St Mary's would be doing more 'surgical procedures' which would result 'in better outcomes for patients'.
But Cllr Greenhalgh hit back, saying: "The idea that these moves will improve patient care is nonsense and the evidence that clinical outcomes will improve is also lacking."
Orthopaedic surgery
The NHS trust also admitted that its board may decide to move all surgeons from the orthopaedic surgery unit to Paddington this summer.
"Taken with the proposed move to relocate major orthopeadic surgery, it seems that Charing Cross is being downgraded to a local hospital incapable of providing major acute patient care as it has done for nearly 40 years," Cllr Greenhalgh added.
But Claire Perry, managing director of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, claimed that the changes would not 'materially affect the care offered at Charing Cross'. She added: "The proposed changes are designed to improve our patients' experience and their clinical outcomes."
Sarah Whiting, chief executive of NHS Hammersmith & Fulham, told h&f news: "The hospital has begun discussing their orthopaedics proposals with ourselves, local GP leaders, the council's scrutiny committee and patient representatives.
"We will ensure that proper engagement takes place before any final plans are made."
Since it opened its doors in 1973 Charing Cross Hospital has served the whole of west London as a teaching hospital with medical students on site and been 'far more than a local community hospital', Cllr Greenhalgh added.
The Trust plans to make a decision on the future of orthopaedic surgery in the summer of 2011.
Previous stories on this topic:
Major Trauma centre consultation»
Warning over brain surgery plans»
Charing Cross threat»
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