CRISIS talks are on the cards over the new future for Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup.
Dr Chris Streather, chief executive of South London Healthcare Trust has invited James Brokenshire, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, to a meeting to discuss Mr Brokenshire’s pre-election promise to stop the changes to the Sidcup hospital.
Mr Brokenshire announced before the general election a future Tory government would halt plans to strip Queen Mary’s of its emergency services.
He said the now Health Secretary Andrew Lansley had promised a moratorium on the changes, planned under the A Picture of Health proposals.
GPs and local people will then be consulted on what services they want to see at Sidcup.
But the promise has alarmed staff working at Sidcup and the Princess Royal University Hospital, Farnborough, and the Queen Elizabeth, Woolwich, which are part of the same trust.
They are in the process of applying for new jobs with the trust, in the wake of the planned reorganisation, which will see A&E, maternity and in-patient children’s services removed from Sidcup.
This week, Mr Brokenshire said he had written to Dr Streather “putting him on notice there will be no further transfer of services from Queen Mary’s”.
He has also written to Mr Lansley asking him what steps he is taking to fulfil his promise and the timetable for implementing it.
Mr Brokenshire said there now needed to be discussions between the Department of Health and the trust about the implications of the changes in government policy and reassurance for the trust staff.
He added: “I am pushing very hard to make sure we keep services at Queen Mary’s and secure its future.”
A trust spokesman said it could not comment on recent speculation.
He added: "The changes to hospital services currently planned at South London Healthcare NHS Trust, were put forward by clinicians and the public was consulted on these changes.“
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