EALING Common was awash with a sea of people on Saturday (13) afternoon as thousands turned out to oppose 'life-threatening' cuts to A&E services.

Brandishing placards, banners and flags, protesters spent the morning marching through the borough's streets with several hundred people making their way from Acton Park and around 2,000 travelling from Southall Park past Ealing Hospital.

Along the way both marches received support from buses, taxis, cars and ambulances as drivers sounded their horns.

The march was organised to oppose NHS proposals to axe Ealing's accident and emergency unit and downgrade it to a 'local hospital'.

As well as Ealing, Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal and Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals in Hammersmith and Fulham would lose their A&Es meaning patients would have to travel to Northwick Park in Harrow, Hillingdon Hospital or West Middlesex Hospital - which would gain an A&E unit in the shake up. On a day which hosted one of the biggest demonstration in Ealing's history, normally fiery political foes stood shoulder to shoulder in their abhorrence of the plans.

Speakers, including Steve Pound the Labour MP for Ealing North, Conservative MP for Ealing Central and Acton Angie Bray, leader of the council Julian Bell and opposition councillors Conservative David Millican and Liberal Democrat Gary Malcolm, all spoke of their outrage and their determination to fight the proposals.

There was a strong sense among opponents that the closure of all the A&E units would only be detrimental to the health of patients as they would have to travel much further.

Acton resident Martin Roiser helped to organise the march from Acton Park.

He said: "Closing A&Es will have an effect on the service of health provision. There's been a 10 per cent increase in the population of the area over the last 10 years, we need more units, not less.

"People are worried and scared about having to travel that extra distance in what is very likely to be a life and death situation. It seems that everyone in the community is getting behind the campaign."

March attendees came from all over West London to show their support for the save our hospitals campaign.

Many people from out of the area showed up because they believed that none of the hospitals should be pitted against each other and there should be a sense of unity in their opposition.

Hammersmith resident, Desiree Cranenburgh, said: "We feel that if one of these hospitals closes then it will be a poor service for everyone. If you shut one, then all will suffer. The average waiting time in one of these A&Es is currently somewhere between two and four hours, that's only going to rise.

"There are also a lot of issues surrounding transport, how are people going to easily get to these units when they are so far away. It'll be harder for elderly people and mums with buggies and what about people coming to visit, if you can drive it's fine, but a lot of people don't."


Views from the march - see page 2

Colin Bastin, 64, Ealing.

"I think it's brilliant that so many people turned out and that so many motorists supported us along the march. I thought they would hate us for clogging up the roads but the support seemed almost universal. We all have examples of when we've desperately needed to go to A&E and it's such a vital service that to take it away from Ealing will be very dangerous."


Ben Monks, 26, Ealing Common.

"I believe very strongly that the proposed closure to accident and emergency at Ealing Hospital would be detrimental to the level of healthcare to the residents of the borough. I think losing the four A&E departments would reduce the access to emergency care and I don't see how having less A&Es would lead to a better standard of care.

"I think it's encouraging that this issue is cross party and that there has been so much support from members of the public."


Nancy Purser, 68, South Ealing.

"We're both a young and old family so we know the importance of having accident and emergency facilities close by. These plans are ill thought out. The nearest hospital is miles away. We can't let this happen. Ealing needs an A&E."


Hermione Sacks, 73, Acton.

"I'm hugely against cuts to A&E units in the local area. Where do we go if that happens. It's the distance people are going to have to go and how do we know that the service at these other hospitals will be more suitable let alone how they will cope with the added number of people. This demonstration has been good and I hope there will be more to come."


Tony, 69, and Annemarie Foster, 61, of Acton.

"We came to the demo because we really fear for the whole of the NHS. It's just changed shape, there's no real rationale. The A&E at Ealing it convenient for people. It'll be alright for us because we can drive, but what about others who can't. It's taking local choice away. The time it takes to get to these hospitals during the day, getting from here to St Mary's, that's going to be a dangerous problem. There's a crucial time for any trauma so taking longer to get to hospital is a serious risk when every life matters."