SADDLED with massive historical debt, trying to balance its books, and struggling to reach foundation trust status, South London Healthcare Trust is now looking to maximise its biggest asset: land.

Papers seen by News Shopper and already under discussion by the trust, spell out how much land the trust could sell from its various hospital sites.

For Bexley, people’s worst fears and suspicions may be about to come true.

Consultants McKinsey have put forward two options for Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup, and both involve large land sales.

The first is to sell off virtually the whole site except for two buildings on Frognal Avenue near the hospital’s MRI scanner, to be retained as health clinics or elective care centres, and day surgery from the Princess Royal Hospital, Farnborough.

The second more likely option for Queen Mary’s, is to sell off the area which houses the now-empty Kent Women’s Wing and the neighbouring urgent care centre and former A&E department.

Also sold off would be the land at the other end of the site, beyond the main multi-storey block, including the Frognal teaching centre and the land formerly occupied by nurses’ accommodation, now demolished.

This option would retain the current core hospital buildings including the main multi-storey block and several other blocks housing various health services.

The sale could rake in £20m to finance the trust’s ambitions.

News of the possible sell-off has been greeted with anger and dismay.

Councillor Ross Downing, chairman of Bexley Council’s health scrutiny committee which has fought for Queen Mary’s all the way, said the trust had been “less than honest” with people.

She added: “I think the trust is betraying the people of Bexley.”

Cllr Downing said she was anxious the health campus planned for Queen Mary’s would go ahead, to give the hospital a viable future.

Old Bexley and Sidcup MP James Brokenshire said Queen Mary’s was not there to shore up a trust whose finances “are holed below the waterline”.

He said he would not allow the Sidcup hospital to be “the filling in the sandwich squeezed by the two PFI hospitals”.

Mr Brokenshire said a substantial land sale could stifle any exciting new proposals for services at Queen Mary’s.

He said he was still pressing for Queen Mary’s to be taken out of the trust’s hands and given to another trust which would develop healthcare there.

Orpington Hospital and part of the PRU could be sold

McKINSEY has suggested completely closing Orpington Hospital, which has already lost its elective surgery department.

Part of the site has already been sold for housing and McKinsey suggests selling all of the rest, possibly using some of it for clinical services such as outpatients and diagnostics, by arrangement with the new landowner.

At the Princess Royal in Farnborough it is suggested the post graduate medical centre (PGMC) and the day surgery sites could be sold for redevelopment, with the PGMC moving to Woolwich.

Consultants also suggest the possibility of turning Farnborough ward over to private patients, or using it to rehouse day surgery, with the admin staff moving to Woolwich.

And the idea of building a multi-storey car park on the site is raised.

Julie Mott fought against the closure of the operating theatres at Orpington Hospital and now she is preparing to fight the Trust again.

Mrs Mott, of Red Cedars Road, Orpington, said: “I’m angry that they ride roughshod over the patients and the public of this borough.

“They won’t listen to anyone and it makes me angry because it’s all to do with money.

“As far as I’m aware if they want to sell then it has to go to public consultation but I think they will find a way to get around that.

“We are trying to make them realise that they cannot do just what they think they will before talking to the public first.”

Two chunks of land at Woolwich could also rake in millions

TWO areas at either end of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich are suggested as redevelopment possibilities which could rake in a combined £20m.

One is the car park bordering Charlton Park Lane.

The other, much larger, site includes the tower block and conference centre, post graduate medical centre (PGMC), Brook House, Ranken House and various other buildings.

Ideas include either selling the tower block or turning it into the trust’s headquarters, and selling the conference centre or turning it into the new PGMC, along with selling the surrounding buildings.

Campaigner Edward Hill from 38 Degrees NHS Greenwich, blamed the sell-off on payments to the private finance initiative firms which funded the hospital.

He said: “One’s left speechless by the incompetence. I feel that if all the figures were put out in the open and in the public domain people would be appalled.”

The Trust justifies the possible sell-off

The trust admits it is looking to sell sites it no longer needs to “allow the trust to continue its progress on safety and quality, while achieving financial balance on the road to foundation status”.

A spokesman said any sale at Queen Mary’s would have to accommodate the health campus plans envisaged by A Picture of Health.

He added: "There are ongoing talks with Bromley GPs and Bromley PCT about the future of Orpington Hospital and no decisions will be taken until the commissioners of services currently provided at Orpington Hospital have reached a conclusion."

The trust says: "The changes coming into force in the NHS make it essential that the trust provides its services in a more cost-effective way, and we would be failing our duty to taxpayers if we did not look at the best use of how we use our buildings in this context."

It says no decisions have yet been made.