Tory meets senior Ealing Hospital staff over cuts

ANOTHER parliamentary hopeful has entered the debate about the future of Ealing Hospital's acute services.

Angie Bray, Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Ealing Central and Acton, met with Ealing Hospital's senior staff on Friday to discuss the future of the trust services following leaked reports which revealed the Accident and Emergency department, children's services and the maternity ward could potentially close, in a bid to address an NHS London funding crisis.

The candidate was, however, told of plans to expand maternity services and the staff highlighted their concerns about the possible closures and downgrade of services at Ealing Hospital.

Ms Bray said: "It was important that I went to the hospital to meet the staff and hear first-hand what is happening. Having learnt that the A&E department is dealing with up to 100,000 patients a year, I cannot see how it can be remotely possible to close the facility. Where on earth are these patients supposed to go? Obviously, in time, new patterns of patient care may be developed.

"But it would be extraordinary to close the A&E department before new services have been able to develop and time has been allowed for patients to get used to new ways of accessing healthcare."

Colin Standfield, chairman of Ealing Hospital Save Our Services campaign group, said they were grateful for all the political support they had received to ensure acute services remain at the hospital. Mr Standfield said: "We hope the planned maternity expansion is allowed to take place without further cuts, especially as the unit at Ealing takes all mums, whatever their background needs and history and offers them maternity care.

This is not the case when it comes to some other London hospitals.

"We also know our residents would be massively disadvantaged by any downgrading of the A&E and reject any attempts to do this."

To join the campaign, email ealingsos@googlemail.com visit www.ealinghospitalsos.org.uk or write to Ealing Hospital SOS campaign, c/o 27 Osterley Gardens, Chevy Road, Norwood Green, UB2 4UW.