HEALTH Secretary Andrew Lansley is now the only person left who can save Queen Mary’s Hospital.

Yesterday (Dec 14), members of NHS London’s board voted to approve the A Picture of Health (APOH) changes which will permanently strip the Sidcup hospital of all its emergency services.

The board unanimously judged the changes met all four of the tests set by Mr Lansley when the coalition government came to power.

It also imposed a March deadline on a plan to “redevelop the campus at Queen Mary’s in an innovative way”.

Simon Robbins, who led the APOH, told the board: “It’s not our intention to close the Sidcup campus, it’s our intention to reshape it.”

NHS London backed the views of Bexley’s clinical cabinet of selected GPs which also decided APOH met the four new tests.

To meet them, APOH had to have support from GP commissioners; show patient and public engagement had been strengthened; have clear, supporting clinical evidence and meet patient choice.

A panel was set up by NHS London to judge APOH against the tests.

It found the majority of GPs gave qualified support to the changes, some saying it was the “least worst option”.

Others had some concerns about how APOH would be implemented and about whether the other two South London Healthcare Trust (SLHT) hospitals could cope with the capacity.

The board was also told some Bexley GPs had raised concerns the shake-up was “very much a financially driven change”.

But they generally believed speedy implementation was needed to maintain safe and effective healthcare. News Shopper: Queen Mary's A&E could close by November

Only one GP practice, located nearest to Queen Mary’s, opposed APOH.

The panel report noted: “Other than the status quo, no alternatives to APOH have been put forward by those opposing the scheme.”

The setting up of a Stakeholder Reference Group, including members of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich councils was considered by the panel to have broadly met the second test.

But it noted Bexley Council’s view engagement with the public had only been strengthened because of the public’s opposition to APOH.

NHS London’s panel took additional views of clinicians before concluding “the majority of evidence reinforced the original case for change”.

The final test was meeting patient choice.

NHS London accepted people wanting to use Queen Mary’s would have their choices reduced.

But it concluded benefits elsewhere, such as improved quality of services at the other two hospitals, better planned surgery arrangements and expanded minor injury services, would balance the disadvantages.

Under pressure from local Tory MPs on the issue, Mr Lansley had a private meeting with SLHT last week.

Old Bexley and Sidcup MP James Brokenshire said after the meeting: “Andrew Lansley will have gained a clear impression of the strength of support for Queen Mary’s as well as having had the chance to ask some pretty direct questions of hospital managers.

“The Health Secretary has made clear he retains an open mind on the best way forward for hospital services in this area.”

News Shopper asked NHS London executive director Ruth Carnall if she had any concerns parts of APOH had already been introduced at Queen Mary’s months before yesterday’s meeting.

She said: “My instructions to the trust have been it must not make any changes to the site which scupper the options we were talking about today.

“The changes which were made on a temporary basis were done on safety grounds.”

Ms Carnall also revealed concerns about the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich’s ability to cope with extra patients from Queen Mary’s.

She said: “I remain anxious about it, but we review it literally on a weekly basis.”