Despite the promise of a review, local NHS bosses are already going ahead with the steps needed to close A&E at King George Hospital – they just aren’t admitting it. As members of North East London Save Our NHS, we call on our elected representatives to back our call to halt closure – by signing this petition.

To our MPs and Councillors in North East London:
 
North East London Save Our NHS is a campaigning group which operates across Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, City and Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets. We formed in response to the creation of the North East London Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), which we believe threatens the survival of the NHS across the North East London STP (now called the East London Health and Care Partnership) footprint.

As our elected representatives, you will be aware that when STPs were first set up they were tasked with making efficiency savings of £22 billion across England. There are forty-four STPs, so the ‘efficiency savings’ are roughly £500,000 per STP. The exact figure NEL STP is expected to ‘save’ is not entirely clear, but it is probably in excess of £500,000.

The population of NE London is predicted to grow by at least 300,000 by 2026. Tower Hamlets has the highest population growth in England, projected to increase by more than 17% between 2016 and 2026. Similarly, Hackney’s population is predicted to grow by more than 13% for the same period. (Figures here.)

Despite this, NE London STP (now ELHCP) have stated that they will realise part of their ‘efficiency savings’ by not building any new hospitals. At the same time, they threaten to close the AE Department at King George Hospital in Ilford – a move that could put the future of King George as a general hospital at risk.

Last year, ELHCP pledged that any plans for the future of King George Hospital would be revisited. But we fear that, under the radar, plans to close the AE are continuing apace.

The cancer unit at King George has already closed and ambulatory care has moved out. We understand that there are plans for a specialist centre for the elderly. This is, of course, to be welcomed, but with the caveat that such a centre needs to be situated in a fully functioning acute hospital with an AE. Too often AEs have been closed and ‘care of the elderly’ situated in the hospitals, which are then allowed to run down, operating ‘Cinderella' services. Bethnal Green Hospital and Mile End Hospital in Tower Hamlets are just two local examples. The elderly deserve to be treated in hospitals with acute facilities, just as much as younger people.

We are also concerned that elderly patients from across the ELHCP would be expected to travel to King George for ‘specialist elderly care’. This would be completely impractical.

We are concerned not just for elderly care across the ELHCP footprint, but for acute care as a whole. If the AE at King George Hospital is allowed to close, patients will have to attend Queen’s Hospital in Romford. It is well known that Queen’s Hospital does not have the capacity to cope with the current demand for its AE department. Last year, BHRUT reported that only 82.09% of patients were seen at Queen’s within four hours. The national standard in the NHS Mandate is 95%.

The CQC report in June of last year gave Queen’s a rating of “Requires Improvement”. Particularly pertinent to our concerns, the hospital “required improvement” in the domains of safety and urgent and emergency care.

We contend that it is not safe for patients in the BHRUT area to have only Queen’s Hospital AE to rely on.

Closure of King George Hospital AE will impact on the other hospitals in the area, namely Whipps Cross, Newham, the Royal London and the Homerton. Their respective Trusts (Barts Health NHS Trust and Homerton University Hospital Trust) have their own difficulties and do not have the capacity to soak up extra work.

We are sure that you will agree with us that the people of North East London deserve a safe health service and urge you, as our locally elected representatives across the ELHCP footprint, to join with us and demand that King George AE remains open, and plans to close it – either openly or by stealth – be stopped.