Sutton councillors are “extremely concerned” about the future of St Helier Hospital and want some honest answers from the NHS.

Sutton Council has called for the NHS to keep people informed about the fate of the hospital, after managers were unable to guarantee the future of its A&E and maternity services.

Councillor Mary Burstow, chairwoman of the Health and Well Being Scrutiny Committee, said: “It is extremely concerning that NHS London is unable to guarantee the future of St Helier Hospital.

“While it is good to hear that St Helier Hospital bosses are keen to work with the community to secure services at the site, there has been a shadow over the hospital’s future for five years now and it’s time for the NHS to be honest about where it stands.

“This has been an extraordinarily difficult time for staff and patients at St Helier, and everyone in our local community.

“The hospital has been working hard to secure services, but it needs NHS London chiefs to get behind it and agree plans before they can go ahead.

“We all want guarantees that services are secure, but until this can happen it is vital that those who will be affected most by the changes are kept well informed, even when the news is not good.

“The collapse of the planned merger with St George’s has left bosses without a firm plan, and the council will be pushing for honesty, transparency and community engagement from the NHS until the new plans are confirmed.”

The comments follow the Health and Well Being Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, March 15, where chief executive Matthew Hopkins was unable to diminish fears that NHS reviews would lead to the closure of local services.

When pressed by councillors for a guarantee that St Helier’s future is secure, Mr Hopkins was forced to admit that currently he does not know which services will remain at the site.

Mr Hopkins emphasised St Helier’s excellent patient feedback and assured councillors the Trust is doing all it can to “work with staff and stakeholders to secure, if at all possible, a secure and financially stable future”.

The hospital’s future was thrown into uncertainty when a proposed merger with St George’s, Tooting, collapsed.

The merger would have allowed St Helier to become a foundation trust, a process which all NHS organisations must undergo by 2014.

St Helier does not meet the criteria and cannot become a foundation trust alone, so hospital bosses are now looking at what support they can receive from external stakeholders and the local community to secure services at the organisation and hoping for an extension to the 2014 date.