"Disgraceful": Epsom reacts to hospital closure leak

Those are the views of campaigners and politicians after it emerged yesterday that the hospital trust has been secretly discussing plans with management consultants to shut both Epsom and St Helier and replace them with an 800-bed centre in Sutton.

Earlier today: Secret plans to close Epsom and St Helier and build new "super hospital" overheard on train

Earlier today: Jeremy Hunt: Tories would block 800-bed "super hospital" to replace Epsom and St Helier

Less than three weeks ago, Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of Epsom and St Helier trust, assured this newspaper that accident and emergency (A&E), maternity and children’s services would be safe on both sites for the next five years.

Today, he admitted that the leaked plans were being considered for some time after 2020.

Chris Grayling, Conservative parliamentary candidate, at Epsom Hospital 

Conservative Chris Grayling, standing for re-election as Epsom and Ewell’s MP, said: "This latest study is quite simply the wrong thing to do now and it should not have happened.

"After making reassuring noises about the future a few weeks ago, the trust leadership now has a real confidence rebuilding job ahead of it."

He said: "I am glad Jeremy Hunt has made it clear a Conservative government would have no intention of closing Epsom and St Helier and replacing them with a large new hospital."

Sheila Carlson, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for the constituency, said it was "totally disingenuous" of Mr Elkeles not to mention plans for a "super hospital" when this newspaper interviewed the chief executive three weeks ago.

She said: "If you want to call it lying, call it lying.

"I’m very surprised because this is going totally against what the chief executive was telling us only a few weeks ago.

"If he’s saying ‘all the placards can be put away now’ then he’s got another thing coming. The campaign’s going to get bigger."

Epsom health campaigner Bob Mackinson called for Mr Elkeles' resignation.

He said: "We have been through all this before.

"This man needs the sack. He's not there to create unrest.

"Forget whether the plans relate to 2020 or not, this is creating unrest in the population and at the time of a General Election."

Sheila Carlson, Labour parliamentary candidate for Epsom and Ewell

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Stephen Gee said he found the hospital trust’s behaviour "disgraceful".

"Having made an announcement a few weeks ago that the hospitals would be safe for another five years it seems rather disingenuous at the very least as, in secret, behind closed doors, we learn they are planning on closure or building a super-hospital," he said.

"It’s almost a false promise.

"It will take five years to plan a super-hospital. With the five years announcement, they [the trust] hoped everyone would go away quietly."

Epsom council candidate Jane Race, who campaigned against the Better Services Better Value (BSBV) review which aimed to downgrade Epsom Hospital, said: "I don’t see it happening, certainly not in the short-term.

"I think opinions have changed since BSBV about moving services away because it’s not safe and we proved that it wasn’t safe.

"It’s just very important to get the message out there that we need Epsom Hospital."

Gareth Harfoot, Independent parliamentary candidate for Epsom and Ewell

Gareth Harfoot, standing as an Independent parliamentary candidate in Epsom and Ewell, said: "A new hospital is no bad thing but not at the cost of closing existing facilities that it might not even be adequately replacing, and who do the contracts to build and run the new hospital go to?

"The fact the plans for the new hospital have been kept from the public don’t exactly fill me with confidence.

"At the end of the day though, 70 per cent of people in this constituency voted for the Conservative party or didn’t turn out to vote last election so I can only assume that this and the Health and Social Care Act is fine by the majority of people here."

Lionel Blackman, Independent parliamentary candidate for Epsom and Ewell

Fellow independent parliamentary candidate Lionel Blackman called for "complete transparency".

He said: "The public who pay the wages of the NHS executives and their consultants are entitled to know their long-term ideas, even if they are only tentative.

"For such information, if true, to become public purely by chance shows the contempt the public are held in by NHS bosses."

John Lister, of campaigning group London Health Emergency, said the only way a "super hospital" could be funded would be through use of PFI (private finance initiative) contracts, plans for which have failed in the past.

He added: "Unless the government is going to come up with a well of capital, it would have to be PFI.

"I don’t see this is any more likely to happen than previous PFI buildings plans."

Robert Leach, UKIP's parliamentary candidate for Epsom and Ewell

Robert Leach, Epsom and Ewell's parliamentary candidate for UKIP, said he found the leaked proposal "very disturbing".

He said: "It would take five years to build a new hospital.  I find it very disturbing and hope all the political parties and candidates will unite on this.

"Epsom has been threatened with closure for far too long.  Residents are fed-up with the uncertainty, it's demoralising for staff.  

"People need a local hospital, it gives them reassurance."

Health campaigner, and Epsom Council candidate, Rosemary Najim said she does not know where the money would come from to build a new "super hospital".

She said: "It's really hard to know what's going on.

"I don't think there's money for building a new hospital and I don't think they can close either end without having a serious impact.  The capacity [of both hospitals] is needed."

Green party parliamentary candidate Susan McGrath said she was against the leaked plans.

"It's not good for the community.  Sutton's a long way from Epsom and 'super hospitals' tend to be intimidating," she said.

"It doesn't sound like a good move but it does sound predictable in a way."

In a statement today, Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the GP-led organisation which buys hospital services for the area, said it is involved in what it called Epsom and St Helier hospitals' "estates review".

A spokeswoman said: "We work closely with our local hospitals and other NHS organisations to ensure our patients get the very best care.

"This includes making sure the right services are in place to meet local needs both now and in the future.

"We look at the wider picture so as well as looking at service pathways, patient outcomes and patient feedback, we also need to consider buildings and the current infrastructure.

"Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS trust is carrying out a full estates review and as you would expect, as one of their main commissioners, we are involved in this review.

"Once the work has concluded any recommendations that emerge will require significant further discussion and development."

Epsom and St Helier Hospital trust issued a statement this morning which said: "We would like to assure our patients, visitors and other local people that our plans and objectives for the next five years remain completely unchanged.

"Our five-year strategy to keep all our sites where they are remains the same; our plan to keep our A&E and maternity services open at our two biggest sites remain the same.

"In short, all of the commitments we made publicly two-and-a-half weeks ago remain the same."

For more on the historic fight to keep Epsom Hospital visit www.epsomguardian.co.uk/epsomhospital