HEALTH bosses have moved to downplay warnings that hospitals in west London are facing closure.NHS North West London (NWL) medical director Mark Spencer on Monday morning told news outlets that, 'We do need to centralise, probably have fewer hospital sites' and that it was 'very likely' some A&E services could go.But a spokesperson for NHS North West London later backtracked on the comments, denying hospitals would close in full but hinting facilities could be downgraded."It is not anticipated any hospital site will cease to offer services," said the spokesperson, adding: "If we are to maintain and improve good quality care for patients in the future in North West London, hospitals will have to change. Nevertheless it is not anticipated that any hospital site will cease to offer services. Where possible care will be kept local, but it may make sense to bring some services together and specialise."She added it has not yet been decided which hospitals will be affected.Dr Spencer's comments would put at risk hospitals in west London including Charing Cross, Ealing, and St Mary's. NHS North West London, which encompasses the Primary Care Trusts of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow, Ealing, Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon.He said the current health care system in the area is 'inefficient'."We have more hospitals per head of population, more hospital beds per head of population and travel time to your local hospital is much shorter than anywhere else in the country," said Dr Spencer, who has been tasked with cutting £1bn from the budget by 2014."And that's an inefficient system."Last year bosses Charing Cross bosses were forced to deny the hospital was at risk of shutting, insisting closure was 'not an option'.Dr Spencer's comments came after NWL launched the Shaping a Healthier Future Programme which is hoped will improve patient care and reduce inequality, with greater investment in GPs more spending on proactive services in local communities and less on hospitals.The spokesperson added: "This will save lives, improve patient outcomes and their experience of care, something which is already happening across London with stroke, trauma and heart attack care. This has already saved about 100 lives over the last year in NW London – but more needs to be done."A joint statement by the eight west London PCTs read: "As clinical leaders in North West London, we believe that the case for making changes to how we deliver services in North West London is compelling and places a clear responsibility on us now to deliver better healthcare for our patients in years to come."We believe that increasing the amount of care delivered closer to the patient’s home will enable better co-ordination of that care, ensure the patient has access to the right help in the right setting and improve quality of care and value for money."Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-and-hammersmith-news/local-fulham-and-hammersmith-news/2012/02/07/health-chief-west-london-hospitals-will-almost-certainly-close-82029-30282367/#ixzz1sc06YOhL
Nicola Howard ● 5261d