A nursing union has spoken out against proposals for NHS cuts which would see the tri-borough area lose £89million in funding.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) region is opposing a change in allocations which would see a capital-wide £220m NHS cut.

Currently, £68billion of NHS money in England is split between the new local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), which were set up in April and bring together GPs and other healthcare professionals to takeover commissioning from primary care trusts.

Now, Hammersmith CCG would lose £29m, or £147 per head of population. West London, encompassing Kensington, Chelsea, Queens Park and Paddington, would lose £89m a year, while the Central London CCG, which covers the rest of Westminster, would lose £54m a year.

RCN London regional director Bernell Bussue said: “London has some of the sharpest health inequalities in the world, with life expectancy varying by as much as 17 years.

“It cannot be right to make changes to health funding that would see money diverted away from the very people who need it most.

“This change to CCG funding allocations would exacerbate the very health inequalities which the NHS should be trying to address. Some of the poorest boroughs in London would be hit hardest by these unfair and unacceptable proposals.”

The budget for each CCG is determined by a complex formula, taking into account the size and characteristics of the local population.

NHS England is proposing to remove the deprivation weighting currently used to tackle health inequalities.

Dr Fiona Butler, chair of West London CCG, said: “It is important to point out that NHS England have not yet confirmed any changes to the way health services are funded and we have been talking to them about the review and the impact it could have on local services.

“We have known for a number of years that our allocation was higher than average. For us this has been about accepting that there may be a decrease in funding and trying to make sure that any changes are brought in over a number of years, so that any impact could be lessened and planned for.”

The proposed changes to CCG funding can be seen at www.england.nhs.uk .