Lewisham hospital in the spotlight

The South-East London hospitals are running through a process of transformation to improve the South London Healthcare Trust system because of the financial problems they are suffering. The government-appointed administrator, Matthew Kershaw, from the Trust Special Administrator (TSA) has sent some recommendations to the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, to alleviate these problems.

Although this area includes six London NHS Trusts and five major hospitals, the public discussion has been about the Lewisham hospital and the closure of  several key departments. Lewisham south-east London hospital is threatened for the selling of a sixty percent of its buildings due to a closure of  the Accident and Emergency (A&E) and maternity units, paediatric services, the ICU and all acute admission if these recommendations are approved next 1st of February.

This closures will cost large sums of money to the National Health Service over many years; more than a hundred and ninety million pounds.  SaveLewishamhospital.com campaign will organize a demostration next 26th of January to stop the recommendations.


Interview:

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The recommendations report from the Trust Special Administrator is about how to improve the efficiency South London Healthcare NHS (National Health Service) Trust or colloquially SLHT. Three hospitals are part of this single government entity: the Queen’s Elizabeth  hospital at Greenich, the Queen Mary hospital in Sycup in Bexly and the Princess Royal hospital in Bromly.

Most of the recommendations of the TSA report look at the long term solutions to the financial problems of that Trust, since it is losing a million pounds a week. However, the controversy has focused on another South-East hospital Lewisham.

Mark Palin, communication’s consultant for the Office of the Trust Special Administrator (OTSA) explains why it is necessary to look beyond that Trust and to look at the wider health economy of South-East London, which includes Lewisham.

The Health economy of South-East London is twenty percent of London and it serves a population of nearly two million people. The recommendations address the problems of the Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) within South-East London Healthcare.

On the other side of the story, Jos Bell, a spokeswoman for the Save Lewisham hospital campaign, says that this issue is beyond politics but for the people of Lewisham. She says that dismantling Lewisham hospital will cost one hundred and ninety million pounds and it will mean more losses than gains.

People al Lewisham have now signed a petition against the proposal to close A&E and maternity units,  paediatric services, the ICU and all acute admission, and they are organizing demonstrations, as the one on the twenty six of January, to keep Lewisham hospital untouched.

The final report is now on the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, who is expecting to make his decision about these recommendations on the first of February, in terms of solving the issues to the Health economy of South-East London.



Sources:
Jos Bell, spokeswoman for the Save Lewisham hospital campaign
Mark Palin, communication’s consultant for the Office of the Trust Special Administrator