Daley Thompson Gives Support to Chelsea and Westminster
Dad whose baby was born in maternity unit say loss "would be a travesty"
Olympic legend and two-time Gold Medallist Daley Thompson has given his support to the Safe in our Hands campaign to keep A&E and other vital services including Maternity at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Daley, who visited Chelsea and Westminster recently to put more than 100 staff through their paces during a pre-Olympics lunchtime exercise class says: "Chelsea and Westminster is a great hospital with fantastic staff who do a great job caring for more than 300,000 people every year.
"I have had personal experience of the excellent standards of care provided at Chelsea and Westminster when my partner had our baby here.
“It would be a travesty if the hospital lost its A&E Department which would also mean the loss of the Maternity Unit and many other life-saving services.
" I would encourage as many people as possible to support the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign to keep A&E at Chelsea and Westminster by completing the consultation form voting for Option A at Safe in our Hands.”
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is urging local people to respond to the consultation currently being carried out by NHS North West called Shaping a Healthier Future.
In a Factsheet produced for the people of Hammersmith and Fulham, the NHS reveals that there are three possible options proposed for our area:
Option A (preferred option)
This option has Chelsea and Westminster as a major hospital, Hammersmith Hospital as a specialist hospital and Charing Cross proposed as a local hospital.
Option B
This option has Charing Cross Hospital as a major hospital, Hammersmith Hospital as a specialist hospital and Chelsea and Westminster would be a local hospital.
Option C
This option has Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as one of five major hospitals in North West London, with Hammersmith as a specialist hospital and Charing Cross Hospital proposed as a local hospital.
Although not the preferred choice, Option B would see Chelsea and Westminster reduced to the status of a local hospital. And the hospital says: " If Chelsea and Westminster is downgraded to a ‘local hospital’ without a full A&E, not only patients who rely on A&E would be affected.
" Chelsea and Westminster would also lose its Maternity Unit, life-saving facilities for children, and many other services.
" If these services were lost to patients, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital would be non-viable and face the very real threat of closure."
The hospital is urging local people to make their voices heard by attending a public consultation event and join the Safe In Our Hands campaign.
You can read the factsheet in full here.
The NHS Consultation, Shaping a Healthier Future lasts until October 8 and you can respond to the consultation online or request a full copy of the consultation document by emailing consultation@nw.london.nhs.uk, calling freephone number 0800 881 5209 or writing to FREEPOST SHAPING A HEALTHIER FUTURE CONSULTATION (This must be written in capital letters and on one line. You will not need a stamp.)
A consultation roadshow in Fulham is being held by the NHS on September 19 from 2pm till 8pm at Fulham Broadway Methodist Church, 452 Fulham Road.
August 31, 2012
