A DRAMATIC shakeup of NHS services in south-east London has been proposed by the Administrator of South London Healthcare Trust (SLHT).
The Special Administrator, Matthew Kershaw, was put in charge of the debt-ridden SLHT during the summer and has now published his draft six-point plan for overhauling local healthcare over the next three years.
His proposals would see the dissolution of the SLHT, with Greenwich’s local hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital at Woolwich, joining together with Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust.
Controversially, Lewisham Hospital would lose its A&E role with QEH providing emergency care for residents of both Greenwich and Lewisham boroughs.
The recommendations by Mr Kewshaw, who previously ran Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, would see Lewisham Hospital, Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup and Guy’s Hospital continuing to provide urgent care for conditions that don’t require admissions.
A “24/7 urgent care centre” at Lewisham Hospital would still be able to treat 77% of the patients who currently attend A&E, says the Administrator’s report.
But the proposed closure of Lewisham’s Accident & Emergency ward, just months after it benefitted from £12million of investment, has been been bitterly attacked by campaigners who have started a petition to save the local services at Lewisham.
A consultation on the recommendations begins on November 2nd and ends December 14th. The Office of the Trust Special Administrator is holding a series of public meetings throughout the consultation period including one at West Greenwich House, Greenwich High Road, on November 13th.
The Special Administrator’s recommendations can be read online in full or in summary.
This is a preposterous suggestion. Lewisham isn’t even part of the South London Healthcare Trust (SLHT) yet its losing its services to help prop up its mismanaged neighbour? And just a year after its S&E was fully refitted? Who is this joker?!
Please save all the Hospitals, the way economy is now a days public may not be able to afford to go to private Clinics/Hospitals
Seems not long ago we were bEing told that Queen Mary’s had to close to save money. That proved too costly so now the plan is to close the only decent ED. Now what was Einstein’s definition of insanity?
Who is this idiot? How is Salisbury comparable to SE London?
The idea is unworkable — assuming you don’t want a few deaths. QEH is banged out as it is without taking on all of Lewisham. As noted on another site, the lack of emergency cover will mean the natal unit will have to close (or the rules changed, thus endangering new borns).
The whiole thing is a bloody scandal with only the money men and companies that signed totally one-sided PFI deals benefiting. If things go against them, they will do a G4 Olympic deal and pull out leaving us with the bills anyway.