10:15am Friday 26th March 2010
By David Lindsell
The announcement of a massive £220m rebuild at St Helier Hospital in Sutton increases the odds Kingston will end up in the firing line for A+E and maternity cuts, according to Liberal Democrat MPs.
Edward Davey, MP for Surbiton and Kingston, was initially told by senior figures in the NHS that Kingston was on a shortlist of two hospitals, as a result of an NHS London review of healthcare - the other one is St Helier in Sutton.
Leaked review documents have shown that the possibility of closing services at both hospitals, as well as Mayday in Croydon, was being considered.
But Mr Davey and Richmond Park MP Susan Kramer believe that, as a deprived area, Croydon is likely to remain untouched.
Ms Kramer told a Save Kingston Hospital campaign meeting of about 40 people, in the YMCA Hawker Centre on Monday evening that the Government favoured St Helier, which is in a Labour voting area.
She said: "It makes it unbelievably vulnerable.
"All of the feedback we get, despite the fact they do say no final decision has been made, confirms that."
And she claimed that Mike O’Brien, the minister for health, had gone out of his way to give assurances to hospitals that were at risk in north London such as Ealing and Whittington but not Kingston.
Despite backing the London-wide review, he told the House of Commons earlier this month he was sceptical about closing A and E at Whittington, and "would find it difficult to accept the case for that to occur".
She said: "After the debate I stopped the minister and said what can you say to me for Kingston Hospital and he said to me ‘keep on fighting’."
Mr Davey said: "If St Helier is rebuilt on a big scale ahead of this secret consultation and prejudges that consultation, it only leaves one hospital.
"Those who are saying this isn’t a real threat are undermining what ought to be a cross-party campaign and a very serious battle for our campaign."
But a spokesman for Healthcare for South West London said: "We are still considering all options. We haven’t ruled out anything.
"In fact the number of options may increase in the formal options proposal process."
Tory parliamentary hopeful Helen Whately, whose supporters handed out literature outside the YMCA Hawker Centre criticising the MPs again for "scaremongering" but was not at the meeting, agreed with Mr Davey that it seemed as if the choice for removal of A+E or maternity was between St Helier and Kingston.
But she said: "I don’t think as a result of this announcement you should assume therefore the answer is it is going to be Kingston."
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