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Kingston Hospital would lose "major service" in 16 of 18 options under review (From Surrey Comet)
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The future of Kingston Hospital is under discussion after leaked evidence from a confidential south-west London-wide review of the NHS backed up MPs claims that closure of the thriving A+E and maternity units was being considered.
Out of 18 options decided on before Christmas by clinicians carrying out the review, 16 involved the loss of a major service at Kingston.
Liberal Democrat MPs have launched a "Save Kingston Hospital Campaign" while Tories say they are not convinced of the threat, but are promising to halt the review if David Cameron comes to power.
To make up your mind keep visiting the Surrey Comet for all the latest news on the hospital.
If you have an opinion or a question you would like to put to the NHS about the review, email Surrey Comet chief reporter David Lindsell at dlindsell@london.newsquest.co.uk
Kingston Hospital would lose "major service" in 16 of 18 options under review
3:54pm Tuesday 16th February 2010
Kingston Hospital would lose a major service in 16 out of 18 proposals contained in a final draft of a review of healthcare across south-west London.
The Surrey Comet has seen extracts of the private and confidential South West London Strategic Plan dated December 18, 2009, which has been leaked to Edward Davey, Kingston and Surbiton’s Liberal Democrat MP.
He said: "We have always said that they are reviewing the future of acute hospital services in south-west London and in that review they were considering the future of Kingston Hospital services.
"This table and the context around it completely confirms our allegation which came straight from our briefing by four chief executives and one senior clinician.
"People who said we are scaremongering are clearly wrong."
Healthcare for South West London said no decisions had been made and the review was still at an early stage.
Services at St Helier, Croydon's Mayday, St George's in Tooting and Kingston Hospital are all being examined.
The leaked report makes public more detail about the scale of changes that are being considered, with changes in paedatric inpatient wards and routine operations also under the microscope.
Until today, NHS chiefs have been insistent that no decisions have been made about specific sites by the 100 clinicians working on the review.
But the report designates St George’s as the major acute hospital, making it more likely one of the other three would see services downgraded as they shift either to a larger, specialist hospital like St George’s, or into the community in polyclinics or walk-in centres.
If Kingston Hospital did stop performing routine operations, patients could be sent to a new surgery centre similar to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC) which was opened in 2004 at Epsom Hospital.
Major stroke and trauma units have already been moved to St George’s from Kingston, Mayday and St Helier last summer, replaced with local units offering general care and rehabilitation.
A Case for Change document designed to persuade patients about the general benefits of changes within the NHS has been completed and is waiting for approval before being made public later this month.
But clinicians from each of the five working groups looking into everything from end of life care to A+Es will be shown the final draft of strategic plan and asked to consider it further before the contents are made public.
More Kingston Hospital under threat stories
- Tory meeting on future of Kingston Hospital this weekend
- David Cameron aims to halt healthcare review
- Kingston Hospital wins £2m funding battle
- MPs petition to save Kingston Hospital
- Email review team and ask to be kept informed about future of Kingston Hospital
- Maternity website offers a virtual tour of Kingston
- Graphic view of the NHS
- Does St Helier plan mean Kingston Hospital cut?
- Tories would "rip-up" review of NHS in south-west London
- NHS London chief executive admits radical changes will be controversial
Of 18 options which were considered by the NHS, 16 would see a major service at Kingston Hospital close
Four pages from the final draft of the private and confidential report leaked to Edward Davey MP
St George's Hospital in Tooting has been designated as a specialist hospital under the plans - the handwritten notes are Edward Davey's
The 100 clinicians appear to have ruled out keeping an A+E at each hospital
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