Hillingdon's two main hospitals will come under 'increased pressure' this winter after missing out on government funding to help A&Es cope over the winter, the borough's NHS trust has said.

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - which manages Hillingdon Hospital, in Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge, and Mount Vernon Hospital Rickmansworth Road, Northwood - was not amongst the 53 NHS trusts awarded a share of £250m from the Department of Health, for hospitals forecast to exceed waiting time targets in A&E units during the busy winter period.

In response, the trust and the Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), have written to NHS England, and health regulatior Monitor, to outlines their concerns about how this financial snub will impact services.

A Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: "We are very disappointed not to have received additional funding to support our A&E services.

"During the past few years, the Trust has received much needed winter funding which has helped us to achieve the national A&E waiting time target.

"As demands on the healthcare system continue to rise, we believe that the absence of additional A&E funding this year will result in increased pressure being felt by the wider health and social care system during the coming months.

"We are committed to providing high standards of care and will be working with local health and social services to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of patients."

Healthwatch Hillingdon, the borough's independent healthcare watchdog, says the omission could have a 'serious and negative effect...on providing safe care for the residents of Hillingdon."

In a separate letter to NHS England, Healthwatch Chief Executive Graham Hawkes warns that placing this extra constraints on the budget could particularly affect care for the elderly, of which there is a large number in Hillingdon compared to other areas (17,000+), and added that the Trust just reached the required standard last year after receiving government money.

Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell has called upon Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, to review his decision to refuse funds, and says it is 'unfair treatment'.

He said: "All the predictions point to a massive increase in demand for Accident and Emergency Services this winter. That is why the Government has allocated additional funds to hospitals throughout the country. For some unfathomable reason, Hillingdon Hospital has missed out completely.

"With the additional strains placed upon our local hospital because of Heathrow airport, the two detention centres and overspill demand from other hospitals, it is irrational for Hillingdon to be excluded from this distribution of the additional monies."

Three NHS Trusts in surrounding areas will all receive a cash windfall - North West London (Central Middlesex Hospital, Northwick Park Hospital, St Mark's Hospital; £6.4m), Ealing Hospitals (£2.9m), and West Middlesex University Hospital (£2.9m).

A £250m sum is being pledged this year and next year, and the money will address capacity needs, and aim to improve social care, and urgent care services.