Health Czar Backs Bid to Slash London AE

THE Government’s Accident and Emergency czar has backed downgrading emergency services at a popular north London hospital.

There are three options in plans drawn up for Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, two ofwhich involve moving 24-hour accident and emergency services out of the hospital.

Another says obstetrician-led maternity should also move out, leaving a midwife-led unit for straightforward births.

The changes would affect almost one million people in Barnet, Enfield and Haringey and there have been major protests.

Local residents are angry that services at Chase Farm are under threat and argue that the increased journey time to Barnet Hospital or North Middlesex Hospitalwould put lives at risk.

They claim the downgrades are only to save money as latest figures show NHS deficits in the area of more than Pounds 20 million this year. Professor Sir George Alberti says the changes are necessary because each hospital is too small to accommodate the number of specialists needed to continue to operate a safe service round the clock.

Barnet Primary Care Trust is Pounds 3.6 million in the red, Enfield is Pounds 7.2 million in debt and Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals trust is expected to be Pounds 9.4 million in debt.

Haringey PCT isdue to break even and North Middlesex should balance its books this year.

Professor Alberti said the additional time for patients needing to be transferred had been calculated as just a “few minutes”, and added it was more important for an ambulance to arrive quickly and then take the patient to somewhere definitive care could be provided than to take them to the closest hospital and then move again for specialist services.

In his report published today, Professor Alberti said: “Put starkly, it is evident that safe, high-quality modern care cannot be provided for all specialties in all three acute hospitals in the area. There are insufficient doctors, particularly at senior level, buildings are inadequate and resources are finite.” He said the two main options involve Chase Farm losing its 24-hour AE department: “The choice of Chase Farm is partly geographical and partly due to the poor quality of the estate.” He said a network of Urgent Care Centres should be established across the area with one at ChaseFarm.

The issue of maternity service is more complicated and should not be decided until a London-wide review is concluded. But Professor Alberti said: “The suggestion that obstetrician- led services be moved from Chase Farm is logical.”

(c) 2007 Evening Standard; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.