Public Meeting To Save Ealing's Hospital Services
Residents urged to shown support in last effort to stop the cuts
Ealing Council is urging residents to show their support for the Save Our Hospitals campaign.
A public meeting will be held on Thursday, 15 February 2018 and campaigners will highlight proposals to close blue light emergency services at Ealing and Charing Cross hospitals.
The event has been organised by Ealing Council, invited speakers include Ealing Council leader, Councillor Julian Bell, Hammersmith and Fulham leader, Councillor Stephen Cowan and Ealing Save our NHS.
Hammersmith and Central Middlesex Hospitals A&Es have already been closed, along with the closure of Ealing Hospital’s maternity and children’s A&E.
The NHS North West London’s ‘Shaping a Healthier Future’ programme proposes that A&Es will close at Ealing and Charing Cross Hospitals with no blue light emergency care and more than 500 hospital beds to be axed across the two sites.
Campaigners claim this will lead to:
- Increased travel times to get treatment
- Increased A&E waiting times, which, in north-west London, are already the worst in London and among the worst in the country.
More than 14,000 people have signed the petition since it was launched in August, and further research and reports have shown North West Healthcare Trust as having the worst A&E waiting times in the country in September.
The trust, which runs Ealing Hospital, failed to hit its targets for A&Es in December. Just over 82% of patients who went to A&E were treated or admitted within the target time of four hours, below the England average of 85% with the current goal standing at 95%.
Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council said: “Thank you to everyone who has signed the petition already. Residents can be assured we’re trying our utmost to halt NHS plans and every signature counts.
“This public meeting is your last chance to have your voice heard and show decision makers that local residents do not accept the proposals to cut essential hospitals services. We know that the recent winter crisis has shown that despite heroic efforts on the part of NHS staff there were still vast shortages of beds and A&Es failed to cope with demands.
“We have continually warned that we would see extended lengthy waiting times and risk peoples’ lives.
“Accident and emergency departments have already closed at Hammersmith and Central Middlesex and now north-west London has some of the worst waiting times in the country. Our remaining A&Es are already creaking under the strain of increasing demand, so stripping out a further 500 acute beds is unsafe and must be stopped.
“I urge residents to join us on the 15th to show support for our hospitals”.
The meeting takes place at 7.30pm in Dominion Arts Centre, Southall.
The petition is available online at www.sohpetition.co.uk.
January 15th 2019