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| Lewisham hospital's fury at £195m bill for A&E closure | Lewisham hospital's fury at £195m bill for A&E closure |
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| Angry doctors have condemned plans to axe their hospital's A&E and maternity units as "financial madness" because the closures will cost the NHS large sums of money over many years. | Angry doctors have condemned plans to axe their hospital's A&E and maternity units as "financial madness" because the closures will cost the NHS large sums of money over many years. |
| The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, faces a tough decision over Lewisham hospital in south-east London after a government-appointed administrator said the two key units should be shut to help solve a crisis at the nearby, debt-laden South London Healthcare NHS Trust (SLHT). | The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, faces a tough decision over Lewisham hospital in south-east London after a government-appointed administrator said the two key units should be shut to help solve a crisis at the nearby, debt-laden South London Healthcare NHS Trust (SLHT). |
| Local MPs will meet Hunt on Monday to discuss the issue, which has put the question of hospital services firmly back on the political agenda. | Local MPs will meet Hunt on Monday to discuss the issue, which has put the question of hospital services firmly back on the political agenda. |
| Senior medics at Lewisham, furious at it being "penalised" for another trust's failings, point out that SLHT's expected deficit of £75m over the next three years could be cut to just £1.1m by implementing all of administrator Matthew Kershaw's radical blueprint apart from his insistence that their hospital lose its emergency and childbirth departments. | Senior medics at Lewisham, furious at it being "penalised" for another trust's failings, point out that SLHT's expected deficit of £75m over the next three years could be cut to just £1.1m by implementing all of administrator Matthew Kershaw's radical blueprint apart from his insistence that their hospital lose its emergency and childbirth departments. |
| Lewisham's own projected loss of £600,000 over the same period would stay the same if it were left untouched, according to Kershaw's hugely controversial final SLHT report last week. | Lewisham's own projected loss of £600,000 over the same period would stay the same if it were left untouched, according to Kershaw's hugely controversial final SLHT report last week. |
| His report also says that closing the Lewisham units as part of implementing all six of his recommendations would cost £195m by 2015-16 in transition and capital costs, but admits that the move would take until then to start generating a £19.5m annual payback. | His report also says that closing the Lewisham units as part of implementing all six of his recommendations would cost £195m by 2015-16 in transition and capital costs, but admits that the move would take until then to start generating a £19.5m annual payback. |
| "It's fiscal nonsense and financial madness to do this. How can you tell the taxpayer that it's sensible to spend £195m to get £19.5m savings a year?" said Dr John Miell, a consultant endocrinologist at Lewisham. "It's completely unfair and ridiculous to penalise a successful, high-performing, viable NHS trust to bail out a PFI-burdened and debt-laden neighbour." | "It's fiscal nonsense and financial madness to do this. How can you tell the taxpayer that it's sensible to spend £195m to get £19.5m savings a year?" said Dr John Miell, a consultant endocrinologist at Lewisham. "It's completely unfair and ridiculous to penalise a successful, high-performing, viable NHS trust to bail out a PFI-burdened and debt-laden neighbour." |
| Under the proposals, the 125,000 patients a year who use Lewisham's A&E, plus the 4,360 women who give birth there, would go to hospitals such as the Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich, five miles away, with which Lewisham may merge. However, those units are already badly overstretched, say local Labour MPs, including Joan Ruddock. | Under the proposals, the 125,000 patients a year who use Lewisham's A&E, plus the 4,360 women who give birth there, would go to hospitals such as the Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich, five miles away, with which Lewisham may merge. However, those units are already badly overstretched, say local Labour MPs, including Joan Ruddock. |
| GPs are organising a petition to deliver to Hunt, who has until 1 February to accept, reject or modify Kershaw's plans. "Staff feel 100% antagonism towards the plans, which are clinically unsafe, financially non-viable and totally unjust," said Miell. | GPs are organising a petition to deliver to Hunt, who has until 1 February to accept, reject or modify Kershaw's plans. "Staff feel 100% antagonism towards the plans, which are clinically unsafe, financially non-viable and totally unjust," said Miell. |
| Staff are now writing protest letters to Hunt, who rates defeating a bid to shut the A&E unit at the Royal Surrey County hospital in his own constituency in 2006 as his proudest political achievement. He has acknowledged Lewisham campaigners' grievances and given them some hope by telling MPs that "[hospital] reorganisations are not always the panacea they are made out to be". | Staff are now writing protest letters to Hunt, who rates defeating a bid to shut the A&E unit at the Royal Surrey County hospital in his own constituency in 2006 as his proudest political achievement. He has acknowledged Lewisham campaigners' grievances and given them some hope by telling MPs that "[hospital] reorganisations are not always the panacea they are made out to be". |
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