I have consulted colleagues involved in the Charing Cross campaign to get their view. This is their response:First, it was NOT the Labour Party who put out a leaflet about CX closing – it was the Council. That’s actually quite important. Yes, there was a letter from Clare Parker from the NW London CCGs and Tracey Batten, CEO of Imperial. When, however, the authors of the letter say that ‘there have never been any plans to close Charing Cross Hospital’, that is at the same level of truth as saying that ‘there have never been any plans to close Ealing Hospital’. As the leader of the council would point out, it is the health bosses who are playing with words. The hospitals – both hospitals – as we know (and love) them are to be so significantly downgraded that it is a travesty of the English language to say they will not be closed. Basically, in so far as there really is clarity in their plans, what we will get are two hospitals WITHOUT blue light A&Es – the so-called A&Es will be little more than Urgent Care Centres. Further, there will be no on-site consultants … for anything! Few if any overnight beds. All this is essentially agreed when we have met with Tracey Batten – only a few weeks ago. So playing games about the terms ‘closure’ and ‘hospital’. If you say both hospitals are closing as major acute hospitals, the health bosses have to agree with you!! Further, as they have tried to say, it is playing with time scales to say that Charing Cross is not being closed in the foreseeable future i.e. during the period of the STP. What they mean is that it CAN’T be SAFELY closed as a major acute hospital yet as the hospital is working beyond capacity now – 97% bed occupancy when 85% is the standard, both for infection prevention reasons and in case of an emergency.
Chris Hurley ● 3286d