See below for Heidi’s main correspondence on the issue of Lewisham Hospital. This includes her covering letter and response to the TSA’s consultation, her letter to Jeremy Hunt regarding the consultation process and the three Lewisham MPs’ letter to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

‘The proposal to concentrate accident and emergency services at four sites in South East London means that the A&E Department at Lewisham would cease to exist. As I understand it, this has knock-on impacts on the intensive care unit and high dependency unit. The excellent children’s A&E would also cease to exist.

I am opposed to this proposal.

The report suggests that an urgent care centre, located at the hospital, would still treat 77% of patients currently treated at the A&E. I do not believe 77% of people who currently use the A&E at Lewisham would still be treated there.
Analysis conducted by doctors within the Emergency Department suggests that the projections contained within the draft report are based on an underestimation of the numbers who are currently treated by Lewisham’s emergency department and an underestimation of the severity and nature of cases dealt with by them. I am not convinced that people would choose to present at an urgent care centre and I am not convinced that GPs would send their patients there. This has long term implications both in terms of patient choice but also patient convenience and additional demand for ambulance services.’

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