MP "outraged" over St Helier cuts proposal (From Sutton Guardian)
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Mitcham and Morden MP "outraged" over St Helier cuts proposal
8:10am Friday 11th May 2012 in News By Omar Oakes
Siobhain McDonagh
Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain McDonagh said she is “outraged” by a recommendation to shut St Helier hospital’s A&E and maternity units.
Yesterday, a panel of 60 representatives made up from south west London hospital trusts, local authority members and community representatives, recommended St Helier lose its frontline services over Croydon University and Kingston hospital.
They scored each hospital as part of the NHS’s Better Service, Better Value healthcare review, which announced two months ago one of the hospitals faced the cuts.
Miss McDonagh said: "It's absolutely outrageous. All the figures suggest that demand has increased for these services at St Helier. The NHS needs to provide the required service for what patients need.
"Of course this is all about money. They are simply saying we can reduce four to three because it is cheaper.
"What we are seeing is the impact of the Government's NHS reforms and I'm afraid we will see more closures being recommended in London.
Paul Burstow [Sutton and Cheam MP] needs to look at his position too. Is it tenable for him to be against this closure when he is a health minister in a Government presiding over these changes?
Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain McDonagh
"Many patients know they will be seen within four hours in A&E but they probably won't be if they call their out-of-hours GP service. It is wrong to think having new GP commissioning groups mean we need less A&E units.
"It's now up to residents and democratically elected representatives to fight these plans. Paul Burstow [Sutton and Cheam MP] needs to look at his position too. Is it tenable for him to be against this closure when he is a health minister in a Government presiding over these changes?"
A final decision on whether to shut the services is subject to more NHS scrutiny and a public consultation.
Related
St Helier should lose A&E and maternity, says panel
Full coverage of the Save St Helier campaign
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Comments(14)
tharg64
says...
4:16pm Fri 11 May 12
Michael Pantlin
says...
5:51pm Fri 11 May 12
Crease2000
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7:26pm Fri 11 May 12
k/en/petition/save-s
t-helier-hospital-s-
a-e-department-and-m
aternity-unit
Paul McDonnell
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10:21pm Fri 11 May 12
POB007
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1:19am Sat 12 May 12
I have high praise for St George's where the care I have received has been second to none. I hope that any plans to provide vital care at Mayday is scrapped. Keep the fight going.
tjames
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7:30am Sat 12 May 12
Surreydon
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9:54pm Sat 12 May 12
POB007 wrote:Well said. Mayday is a disgrace and has been for years. I too had personal experience, albeit a few years ago, and as you say the staff are diabolical.
I have been following reports of the mergers of hospitals A&E departments in SE England. I live and work in Croydon and refuse to attend Mayday, be it through A&E or GP referral. That hospital should be demolished and staff sacked. They have no respect for patients, treat them like animals especially the elderly. I have been informed that part of A&E is being managed by a private company as a consequence staff are beligerant, lazy and unprofessional. I have asked the staff why they work there if they cannot be bothered to look after the patients. There is no defence for the total lack of care, not even a shortage of resources makes up for the terrible care given. These views are from personal experiences, and also why Mayday changed its name to Croydon University Hospital to get away from its nickname "Maydie".
I have high praise for St George's where the care I have received has been second to none. I hope that any plans to provide vital care at Mayday is scrapped. Keep the fight going.
Save the vital services at St Helier and scrap Mayday.
tjames
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7:33am Sun 13 May 12
Michael Pantlin
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11:23am Mon 14 May 12
tjames wrote:St. Helier is a residential estate in the London boroughs of Merton and Sutton. The portion of the estate north of Green Lane and Bishopsford Road is in Merton, the rest is in Sutton.
she has always been mouth and no action--she supported every vote in parliament as told by the party--but st helier is in sutton not mitcham and morden--merton has no real hospitals--she certainly does not represent me as i work and claim no benefits
Michael Pantlin
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11:26am Mon 14 May 12
tjames wrote:Insurance companies get out of paying through the small print and their directors trouser the money.
privatise the lot and pay via insurance--everyone then has to pay
tjames
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11:34am Mon 14 May 12
Michael Pantlin
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8:58pm Mon 14 May 12
tjames wrote:Morden, part of LB Merton, starts the other side of the Rose Hill Roundabout just a few hundred yards from St. Helier and so those residents look to that hospital for their services. They are represented by the Merton MP so therefore she has a legitimate interest in protecting those services. Hospital catchment areas are not always coterminous with local authority boundaries.
st helier hospital is in sutton
AlphaBetty
says...
2:41pm Wed 16 May 12
Michael Pantlin wrote:Absolutely right - Morden and Mitcham are also close to St Helier Hospital, so this isn't just Sutton's business at all.
tjames wrote:Morden, part of LB Merton, starts the other side of the Rose Hill Roundabout just a few hundred yards from St. Helier and so those residents look to that hospital for their services. They are represented by the Merton MP so therefore she has a legitimate interest in protecting those services. Hospital catchment areas are not always coterminous with local authority boundaries.
st helier hospital is in sutton
I live on the edge of Sutton, and walk to Mitcham to get the tram sometimes. I can't imagine not having an A&E just round the corner. It makes me feel safer. (:
Crease2000 says...
11:45am Fri 11 May 12