Labour Council Leader, Julian Bell has today written to the Secretary of state for Health, Jeremy Hunt, calling for an urgent review of the A&E and other service closures at Ealing and Charing Cross Hospitals proposed under the ‘Shaping a Healthier Future’ proposals.

Cllr Bell’s letter, jointly signed by the Liberal Democrats, came after Ealing Council roundly endorsed a Labour “Save Our Hospitals” motion at its meeting on April 4^th. All Ealing Tory Councillors voted against the motion (see pictured above).

The motion argued that “a 50-bed hospital, with no surgery, no critical care, no acute beds, no blue-light ambulances, no A&E, no maternity unit and no children’s ward is not in fact a ‘hospital’ any resident of the Borough would recognise.”

The Council agreed that “these changes will result in the closure of Ealing District General Hospital and its A&E, followed by its replacement with a day-care clinic and minor injuries unit.”

Cllr Bell said:

“The local Tories and their government are closing Ealing & Charing Cross hospitals. To argue that what will remain is a ‘local’ hospital is the biggest con of all.

Jeremy Hunt made a promise in parliament that both Ealing and Charing Cross hospitals would keep their A&Es. These plans show this is a lie and so Labour-run Ealing Council will continue to fight these ludicrous plans using all available means at our disposal.”

Labour’s Cabinet member for Health, Cllr Hitesh Tailor added:

“Jeremy Hunt must scrap these proposals as a matter of urgency. To leave Ealing and two other boroughs – with a population the size of some UK cities -; without a District General Hospital is short-sighted and dangerous.”

Notes:

1. Full text of the ‘Save Our Hospitals’ Motion – Click here.
2. Full letter to Jeremy Hunt – Click here.
3. For further detail, Ealing Council published a Cabinet Report 25^th April 2017 outlining plans to campaign against hospital closures – Click here.