NO to closure of A & E at the Whittington and the North Middlesex Hospitals
Posted by Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, at 15:07, Tue 24 November 2009:
Dear Neighbour,
Health bosses are drawing up proposals to radically change the way health services in our area are provided. These include the potential downgrading of the Whittington and the North Middlesex Hospital to ‘local hospital’ status. This means, amongst other drastic changes, that full 24 hours Accident and Emergency (A&E) services would end. (see: http://bit.ly/darziplans for more details)
Out of hours, there would not be full emergency treatment. Therefore, local residents will have to travel further in emergencies - adding valuable minutes when they matter most.
If an ambulance is called to your home in Hornsey & Wood Green, for many people, their closest A&E is either the North Middlesex or the Whittington. As a borough, we are already poorly serviced for emergency hospital services - without a single unit in Haringey itself. I am not opposed to local health services being more efficient, but my Liberal Democrat councillor colleagues and I will not accept any cuts in the services at our closest hospitals.
Local people have yet to be given any say on these proposals; however, one of the options is that both the Whittington and the North Middlesex could be downgraded to ‘local’ hospitals. As part of the plans there could be improvements for the North Mid, but while the potential for cuts remain on the table we must act now. In the case of the Whittington, all options mean that services would be downgraded, and Health officials have refused to give me written assurances that our A&E will not be closed.
We must make it absolutely clear that, as a community, we will not accept any closure of the Whittington’s or the North Middlesex’s Accident & Emergency or a reduction of the services provided there. We must be loud and clear - please sign these petitions to make your voice heard. To sign the petition against closure of the Whittington’s hospital please go to: http://bit.ly/SaveOurAandE and to sign the North Middlesex petition, please go to: http://bit.ly/northmid
Kind regards,
Lynne
MP for Hornsey & Wood Green (Lib Dem) (020) 8340 5459 lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org PS - Please forward this to your neighbours; as many people as possible need to know what could happen if we don't act now.
Comments
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Posted by Nadia Nadif, 11:30, Wed 16 December 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Thank you for making me aware of this issue. It is essential that we keep a 24 hour accident and emergency department at the Whittington and North Middlesex hospitals. Max Davis.
Posted by Lynne Featherstone, 12:13, Thu 17 December 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Yes - that is the whole point - to make sure that we make enough fuss now so that when the public consultation on the 'otpions' comes to us in September 2010 - we don't find that the options even consider closing the Whittington A&E. There has been a tremendous response to the campaign by local people - so I hope that NHS London Central North and our local Haringey PCT take note!