Greg Hands MP has condemned plans to cut 200 beds in the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, branding the move as yet another piece in Labour’s scheme to close or downsize the Charing Cross Hospital by stealth.
The cuts were revealed by the Chief Executive of Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust at the Patient Involvement Forum on 26th January – where it was also reported nearly half of the beds to close have already gone.
These bed closures are part of an ongoing threat of closure or severe downsizing to Charing Cross Hospital – first uncovered by Greg Hands in March 2005.
The crisis-hit Hospitals Trust has already seen whole wards close, thousands of operations postponed last year and 300 redundancies announced in November. The Trust has an enormous £37 million deficit in the first six months of this financial year – 9% of its total turnover – the second largest in Britain.
Commenting, Greg said: “Month by month, Labour’s plan to close or downsize Charing Cross Hospital by stealth is slowly unravelling.
“The 200 bed closures, nearly half of which have already gone, are very bad news for Hammersmith & Fulham patients – and even worse news for the future of Charing Cross Hospital.
“Labour have their priorities all wrong. Local people want Charing Cross Hospital to remain open, on its current site, with its full range of specialist services and the current level of acute beds.”
February 5, 2006
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