Around Ealing Spring 2017 | Page 38

HOSPITALS

Health warning

Hundreds of people attended a public meeting to discuss NHS plans to downgrade Ealing and Charing Cross hospitals to ‘ local ’ hospital status .

The meeting was organised by Ealing Council after the NHS published a business case in December to save more than £ 1billion over 10 years . It sets out plans for the removal from Ealing Hospital of emergency ‘ blue-light ’ ambulances , critical care and potentially all surgery , by 2022 . This would downgrade Ealing to ‘ local hospital ’ status . The NHS would then also implement plans to do the same to Charing Cross Hospital .

Speakers at the event on 15 February in Ealing Town Hall included Ealing Council leader Julian Bell ; Hammersmith and Fulham leader Stephen Cowan ; London Assembly Member and local
GP Dr Onkar Sahota ; a representative from the Health Watch organisation ; and representatives from the Save Our NHS campaign .
Councillor Hitesh Tailor , Ealing Council ’ s cabinet member for health and adult services , chaired the meeting . He said : “ The loss of local health services will have a devastating impact for local people . I was pleased to see residents from across the borough came along to the meeting to make their views known .”
Ealing Council has opposed the NHS ’ s ‘ Shaping a Healthier Future ’ programme of hospital reconfiguration since it was first announced in June 2012 . Under
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