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Islington Tribune - by TOM FOOT
Published: 4 July 2008

Whittington Hospital

Doctors slam plans to close Whittington’s A&E unit

THE Whittington Hospital could have its accident and emergency service shut under proposals released by the Health Minister on Monday.
Doctors have warned against Lord Darzi’s plans that could see half of London’s 32 A&E departments close as part of a mass centralisation of acute care services.
Islington patients could be forced to travel longer distances to get emergency care.
Dr Geoff Hinchley, who lives in Islington and is a consultant in accident and emergency at Chase Farm Hospital, has tabled a motion from Islington British Medical Association to be presented at the doctors’ union annual conference in Scotland later this month.
He believes Lord Darzi’s plan has made a “glaring omission”, leaving London’s health system unprepared for the threat of major incidents such as the July 7 terror bombings.
He said: “At the moment all district hospitals have an accident and emergency service backed up by established trauma teams. They are trained to respond to major trauma and can deal with mass casualty. District general hospital A&Es like the Whittington are under threat. If you lose places like the Whittington the whole system will be destroyed.
“It may be all right if one person is hit by a bus and they have to be rushed to a specialist A&E in central London, but what if we have a terrorist attack or a major rail crash?
“Under the plans they will not have the major trauma resources to cope. There is no mention of coping with major, serious incidents in Darzi’s plan. “It is a massive oversight that one would have thought would have been accounted for,” he said.
Dr Jacky Davis, a consultant radiologist at the Whittington, said: “Removing surgical teams from the hospital will have a massive impact on patients.
“We are not sure if this will happen at the Whittington yet because the proposals have not yet been announced.”
Other motions against Lord Darzi’s “flawed” plans from Islington members of the BMA include objections to “minimal” evidence to support recommendations for healthcare reform in London, including plans to shut down surgeries and open “polyclinics”.

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