ANGER is growing about the decision to close the Accident and Emergency department at Queen Mary’s Hospital at night, on a temporary basis.

A number of people have already expressed fears that the temporary closure, between 8pm and 8am which begins on September 9, will quickly turn into a permanent one.

Already, Derek Conway, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, has written an angry letter to Dr Chris Streather, chief executive of South London Healthcare NHS Trust, which now runs the Sidcup hospital, together with the hospitals in Farnborough and Woolwich.

Mr Conway said: “There seems little that is ‘temporary’ about these proposals, which will lead to the full closure in 2011.”

He told Dr Streather: “The NHS London Board, supported enthusiastically by Bexley Care Trust, has been determined to reduce Queen Mary’s capacity.

“And the case for A&E and maternity closures has never been convincingly made on any other grounds than the need to alleviate the PFI (Private Finance Initiative) debts of neighbouring hospitals.”

Mr Conway wrote: “This latest development still misleads my constituents, as the term ‘temporary’ closure indicates some prospect of reopening, whereas the proposal does not state the length of ‘temporary’ and it seems the period will roll seamlessly into the permanent closure scheduled for March 2011.”

He accused the trust of giving “false hope” to people and said they would serve residents better by being frank and open.

Mr Conway said the temporary closure was “to be regretted, and could have been forseen and planned for.

“The people of Bexley have been poorly served by the NHS management throughout this shortsighted process.”

Mr Conway told News Shopper: “I remain unconvinced the NHS London Board will be content with the Queen Mary’s site until it sees it cleared and sold off for housing development.”

Bexley Council’s health scrutiny committee meets on Tuesday to discuss the temporary closure.

Its chairman, Councillor Ross Downing said: “We will be asking just how ‘temporary’ this closure is.

“We know we are going to lose it but that is not due until 2011 and should not happen until all the other services are in place.

“They cannot have extended facilities at the Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich and the Princess Royal in Farnborough already.”

She added: “We will be questioning trust members at the meeting about everything under the sun.”

John Hemming-Clark, from Independents to Save Queen Mary’s, the political group set up in the wake of the A Picture of Health proposals to strip Queen Mary’s of its emergency services, claimed there was “a relentless push to close the A&E as soon as the bureaucrats feel they can get away with it.”

He added: “Their new wheeze is to close it ‘temporarily’ when we all know what that means.”

The council’s scrutiny committee has invited members of the public to send any questions about the temporary closure they wish committee members to ask, in writing, to Cllr Downing c/o Scrutiny Support Team, at Bexley Civic Offices, Broadway Bexleyheath DA6 7LB or email it to scrutiny@bexley.gov.uk by 5pm on September 1.