Health Secretary Rt Hon Mathew Hancock in Parliament on Tuesday confirmed the dropping of the controversial 'Shaping a healthier future' programme launched in 2012 to reshape hospital and out of hospital health and care services in North West London. It would have downgraded accident and emergency units, proposed as part of a contentious reconfiguration and closures of 4 local hospitals.
In response to a question from Chelsea and Fulham Conservative MP Greg Hands, Matt Hancock said a downgrade to the A&E unit of Charing Cross Hospital, west London, was no longer supported by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS Improvement or NHS England. He also added, “As for the changes in A&E in west London, these will not happen”.
A number of local Labour councillors and MPs had launched a petition to fight hospital cuts and A&E closures. The change in strategy is hoped to signal a reprieve for Ealing Hospital's A&E and gives hope to local campaigners that local children's services might return to Ealing Hospital.
North West London has 6.2% of Asians and Ealing has 15%.
Virendra Sharma, MP for Ealing Hospital said: "I am delighted that our local services are being protected and that urgent care is still only a short ambulance ride away at Ealing Hospital. This is a victory for those of us who have campaigned over seven years to save this key local asset. I hope that we will secure the return of maternity services and our in-patients children's ward, it is wrong that no more children are being born at a hospital in Ealing, and we will continue to fight for that service."
