OUR HEALTH DEPENDS ON THIS

The Dame has reproduced this paper in it's entirety: it is vital to our health and our families. Please get involved and make sure you make your views felt. Also send the link on to friends.


Shaping a Healthier Future

Consultation on proposed changes to hospitals in North West London NHS area¹

which includes Chelsea & Westminster Hospital

It is planned that all 9 hospitals in the area will change their role. In future there will be these kinds of hospitals:

• Major hospitals (only 5) which will include full A&E² departments
• Elective Hospitals for planned admissions
• Specialist hospitals
• Local hospitals without full A&E² departments

The Consultation proposes three Options, Option A is the preferred one.

Option A

This has Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital, Northwick Park Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital and West Middlesex Hospital as major hospitals. It has Central Middlesex Hospital as a local and elective hospital and Hammersmith Hospital as a specialist hospital. Ealing Hospital and Charing Cross Hospital are proposed as local hospitals.

Option B

This option has Charing Cross Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital, Northwick Park Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital and West Middlesex Hospital as major hospitals.  It has Central Middlesex Hospital as a local and elective hospital, and Hammersmith Hospital as a specialist hospital.  Ealing Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital would be local hospitals.

Option C

This option has Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Ealing Hospital (with the stroke unit at West Middlesex Hospital moved to Ealing Hospital), Hillingdon Hospital, Northwick Park Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital as the major hospitals. It has Central Middlesex Hospital and West Middlesex Hospital as a local and elective hospital and Hammersmith Hospital as a specialist hospital. Charing Cross Hospital is proposed as a local hospital.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

¹ “North West London” in National Health terms includes nine hospitals:

Central Middlesex; Charing Cross; Chelsea & Westminster; Ealing; Hammersmith; Hillingdon; Northwick Park; St Mary’s; West Middlesex.

² Emergency provision: It is important to distinguish between Accident & Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Centres. All hospitals now have Urgent Care Centres that provide GPs and nurses to deal with smaller cases and where admission to hospital is unlikely. Patients who turn up at A&E are assessed (‘triage’) and are seen in either A&E or in the Urgent Care Centre. At present Urgent Care Centres are not always open 24/7.
The future plans are for all the nine hospitals to retain Urgent Care Centres but only 5 to have full A&E departments – these will receive the blue-light ambulances, and have facilities for 24hr surgery, hospital admission, etc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why you must have your say:

The consultation has started and will go on until 8 October 2012.

Option A is the preferred option but as this is a 4-month consultation and other opinions are being invited, it is possible that other views might be considered and the preference changed to Option B. In this case Chelsea & Westminster hospital would become a Local Hospital and lose its A&E department, including children’s A&E. As Chelsea & Westminster is a stand-alone NHS Foundation Trust this would impact on its new children’s surgery department and its maternity department which might also close.

Note it is not true to say that, for instance, Charing Cross hospital would have no emergency provision for local patients under Option A as it would retain its Urgent Care Centre (where most patients who take themselves to A&E are treated).

Web links and further information

Home page of consultation: http://www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk/

The website has summaries of the proposals, with reasons, and links to downloads of the consultation document, and the survey.

Summary page of Options: http://www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk/options-major-hospitals

Have your say online: www.ipsos-mori.com/shapingahealthierfuture

This is a lengthy survey and expects you to have read the full consultation document and be aware of its provisions. You can complete it online or ask for a paper copy to be sent to you.

Other ways to have your say:

The hospital is investigating ways to help people visiting the hospital to be assisted with completing the survey online.

Go to one of the public forums:

• Central Westminster Hall
  Storey's Gate, London, SW1H 9NH

Event Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 - 14:00 to 20:00

• Hammersmith Town Hall
  King Street, Hammersmith, W6 9JU

Event Date: Saturday, July 28, 2012 - 09:00 to 14:30

• Essex Church
  112 Palace Gardens Terrace, Notting Hill Gate, W8 4RT

Event Date: Monday, July 30, 2012 - 14:00 to 20:00