The administrator overseeing reforms to the failing South London Healthcare NHS Trust has reiterated his recommendation to close emergency services at Lewisham Hospital, despite opposition from the local CCG.
Matthew Kershaw, the trust special administrator, finalised his recommendations in a report to health secretary Jeremy Hunt.
The report said: ‘A significant number of responses to the consultation opposed the draft recommendation that University Hospital Lewisham should no longer provide emergency care, arguing that this would have a detrimental impact on the population that currently depend on those services and that current services are high quality and delivered out of a recently refurbished department.
‘However, on the basis of the full clinical and financial evaluation of options and after taking into account the consultation responses, including the fact that no viable alternative option was suggested, the TSA’s final recommendation is that…University Hospital Lewisham, Guy’s Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup should provide a range of services for patients who do not need to be admitted to hospital.’
In his foreword, Kershaw acknowledged Lewisham CCG’s concerns, which were first reported in Pulse. He wrote: ‘Lewisham CCG’s concerns appear to reflect the views of the wider Gp community, in that they do not support the emergency care and maternity changes in Lewisham.
‘The other CCGs in south east London are more supportive of the proposals, arguing that they are the right solution for securing high quality services for their populations. They also note the challenges inherent in implementing the changes.’
Mr Hunt is set to make the final decision on the recommendations on 1 February.
