Queen Mary's Hospital Update

Conservatives have pledged to freeze further cuts in services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup and launch a new public consultation on the future of the local hospital.  The announcement was made after discussions between James Brokenshire and other local Conservatives with Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary.  Local residents had been seeking clarity on what actions a Conservative government would take in relation to the future of Queen Mary's.

Accident & Emergency, maternity and other services at QMH have been threatened with closure after Labour ministers rubber stamped the much criticised ‘A Picture of Health' proposals which would see emergency care focussed on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich and the Princess Royal University Hospital in Bromley. Overnight A&E cover at Queen Mary's was closed ‘temporarily' last autumn and full closure had been scheduled for September of this year. However, local NHS managers are now suggesting that this timetable could slip.

Local Conservatives have committed that:

• A Conservative government would place an immediate moratorium on hospital re-organization.
• Under a Conservative government, hospital services would be commissioned by GPs in consultation with their patients.
• If the GPs & people of this area want to see accident and emergency, maternity and other services maintained at Queen Mary's Sidcup, there will be no forced closures.

Commenting, James Brokenshire who has campaigned consistently against the cuts said:

"We need to look again at Labour's flawed proposals which undermine the future of Queen Mary's Hospital.  Our local hospital is currently being allowed to wither on the vine. That's why we need to put an immediate stop to further changes and go back to the public and local GPs on the services that should be provided from Queen Mary's."

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