A number of these plans have been leaked to the press and some councils have been critical of plans to close Accident and Emergency units within their local STP.
The Health Service Journal reported yesterday that seven councils have come against out their STPs with Ealing saying.
“Ealing council cannot sign up to a plan that will signal the closure of A&Es at Ealing and Charing Cross hospitals and result in them being downgraded to local hospitals."
At time of writing the North East London STP remains unpublished, but it appears almost certain that closing King George A&E is a central part of the STP.
The Ilford Recorder edition of 3rd November claims to have documents stating King George A&E is to be closed from September 2017 on an overnight basis. The story is here
http://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/health/king_george_hospital_a_e_closure_nears_as_hospitals_reveal_possible_date_for_overnight_closure_1_4760250
Could this 2017 overnight closure be part of the STP?
Right now hospital managers could be being influenced by a plan that has not had public scrutiny. This has to be wrong because the public own the NHS, we have to have sight of and be able to comment upon key documents that determine the future shape of the service to make public NHS ownership real.
Councillors in Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Havering will be written to in the hope that some will attend.
November Board papers for King George and Queens Hospitals available here.
http://www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/papers-minutes?smbfolder=134
Show our hospitals missing 3 cancer treatment targets and the 95% A&E safety 4 hour standard.
The closure of King George A&E which will mean the loss of 272 acute beds along with the medical staffing to keep them open seems certain to make these sad statistics worse. I hope you can attend the meeting on the 17th to discuss with me how best to campaign to have the closure plan binned.
I aim to attend. David Eldridge
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