Monday 2 September 2013

Ealing a step nearer Judicial Review on hospital downgrading

Ealing Council has secured an oral hearing at the High Court on Wednesday, 9 October as it presses for a judicial review (JR) of plans to downgrade four local hospitals.

The council initially applied for a JR in March after the NHS approved plans to shut A&E departments and downgrade other services at Ealing, Central Middlesex, Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals despite increasing demand for emergency services.

This application was turned down so the council sought the oral hearing to press its case. If it is successful at the oral hearing, the council will be able to pursue a full JR.

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of the council, said: "The fight to ensure local people have the health services they deserve goes on. We will present our case forcibly at the oral hearing and pursue all other opportunities to ensure there is proper consideration of our serious concerns about what amounts to the largest experiment in NHS history.”

Concerns about the safety of the NHS plans and the ability of remaining services to cope have been raised by local campaigners as well as the council. The NHS has itself admitted that 'blue light' journeys to hospital will be longer for one in three patients if the plans go ahead.

The council has also referred the issue to the secretary of state for health, Jeremy Hunt MP, who responded by ordering an independent panel to review the NHS plans. The panel’s report will be presented to Mr Hunt by 13 September and his decision is expected around 40 days later.

1 comment:

Trevor said...

I feel sick to the Point of Throwing up when I read About the Health Secretary being concerned about Abortion and using words Like unacceptable and against the Law.
He is part of the government that is ready to invade syria with the American government Which would inevitably result in the loss of countless Lives but to the British Government That is Acceptable.
But the reality is that is Gross hypocrisy.
The Health Secretary That permits the Habit that is the biggest cause of Preventable Death in Britain
condemns Abortion but is part of the government that sees nothing wrong with war.
Don't get me wrong I am not condoning abortion
no...What I'm trying to do is highlight the gross hypocrisy of this government.
They talk like they are concerned about public health but continue to permit 100,000 people to destroy their health and Lives through smoking while Cigarette companies make billions in profit and the government rake in Billions in tax revenue from the sale of the very thing that is the biggest cause of preventable death in this country every year.
How then can the So called Health Secretary stand up and use words Like unacceptable and against the Law When What Cigarette
companies Do is so so so Wrong?
This is Why I say again That there is no Justice at all in this country.
it is just something We dream about.
Justice could exist but it won't because the Government would be called to account for all the wrongs they have done and of course they don't want that to happen.
but I still hope I will live to see the day Justice is Done.
I think that will be The happiest day of my Life.
and to know that people after will never again suffer the Injustice and indignities They have for all this Time.
and one more Thing...how many of you would be content to Live with a bag of Rubbish outside your door which smells really bad and attracts flies and all kinds of insects?
Well to me That is what the government is Comparable To,
a big bag of stinking Trash
that is fit only to be swept away Like all Trash.