Support lacking for healthcare changes

1:29pm Saturday 21st June 2008

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RESULTS of a consultation into the future of healthcare in the News Shopper area have been revealed.

The A Picture of Health consultation gave residents three options on how health services in Bromley, Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham could be reorganised to make better use of NHS funds.

But the most popular response, given by 2,469 out of 8,374 respondents, was not to support any of the options.

In all three options, Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, would become a centre for planned surgery but lose all its acute services.

Also in all three options, the Princess Royal University Hospital, Farnborough, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, would become A&E centres for the area, with maternity units and in-patient children's wards, but would send elective surgery patients to Sidcup.

Option one was selected by 1,949 respondents, and would see Lewisham Hospital admit medical but not surgical emergencies.

It would have a midwife-led birthing unit, but no inpatient services for children.

Option two, which would see Lewisham Hospital retain all its emergency services, was supported by 1,491 people.

And option three, which leaves only two emergency centres, in Farnborough and Woolwich, was the least popular, with 1,367 in favour.

A total of 1,098 people chose multiple options or did not answer.

Overall, 700,000 consultation documents were sent out to residents, meaning there was a response rate of just 0.84 per cent, with the majority of replies coming from Bromley and Bexley.

Professor of International Health Management at Imperial College, Rifat Atun, presented the results at Greenwich University on June 20.

He was joined by Michael Chuter, chairman of the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts.

Among those who rejected the options, many objected to the closure of services at Queen Mary's and longer journey times to hospital.

But Mr Chuter said: "People who voted for none of these options weren't voting for no change.

"No change is not clinically or financially viable."

He said the feedback would help his committee decide in July whether to implement a mixture of the options.

But Dr Andrew Bamji, a senior clinician at Queen Mary's, said afterwards: "This shows a pretty comprehensive rejection of the proposals."