Reorganisation of the NHS is leading to damaging changes in healthcarein Hammersmith and Fulham. Our borough’s population is rising anddemand is increasing. Yet, under the planned changes, access to localemergency care will be drastically reduced.

• Charing Cross hospital as we know it will be no longer. Much of thesite will be sold off to developers to pay for expansion at St Mary’sand a lesser facility on the remaining land.

• Hammersmith’s A&E will close.

• Charing Cross’s A&E will be downgraded to an ‘emergency centre’run by GPs. There will be no Emergency Medicine consultants onsite. Consultants at other sites will provide advice by phone orvideo link.

• Because Charing Cross will no longer have a top-tier A&E, itsworld-class stroke unit will be moved to St Mary’s, Paddington.

• St Mary’s will become a top-tier ‘super A&E’. Major trauma and strokecare, emergency surgery and all acute beds will be located there.

• Hammersmith and Fulham will lose 300-plus acute beds. CharingCross will have none.

• Only a few overnight beds will remain at Charing Cross for patientsneeding rehabilitation or a hospital stay of less than 24 hours.

• People who suffer a stroke or who need emergency surgery willhave to be taken to St Mary’s Paddington instead of Charing Cross.For many, travel times will increase.

• Travel times for families and carers of these patients will alsoincrease; journeys and parking will be more difficult and expensive.

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• St Mary’s and Chelsea & Westminster A&Es will have to care formore patients. Both units are already under immense strain and itis likely that waiting times will increase, especially in wintertime.

• Social services and GP surgeries will attempt to take on some ofthe services currently provided by hospitals. But, due to budgetcuts, nobody knows how this will be achieved or funded.

• Healthcare workers involved in services that will be axed or movedwill face enormous upheaval. Teams will be disrupted, andcommuting will become more arduous.

• Teaching will continue at Charing Cross but the scope for learningwill be reduced because of the hospital’s diminished capabilities.

SOH believes these sweeping changes, which are not supported byevidence, are unacceptable for the people of Hammermith andFulham. Please make your voice heard:

• Email your councillor ( tinyurl.com/nshju5z ) or write to them atHammersmith Town Hall, King Street, London W6 9JU.

• Join us at www.saveourhospitals.net

• Volunteer at our stall on Saturdays at Lyric Square.

• Help us deliver leaflets.

• Display our poster in your window. Free from our stall or website.

SAVE OUR HOSPITALS is a local residents’ group made up of peoplefrom all sections of Hammersmith and Fulham’s community, includingpatients, carers, pensioners, doctors, nurses, social workers, specialists incommunity care and lawyers. We are not allied to any political party.

Over 80,000 people have signed the SOH petition opposing thesechanges, yet the Council has ignored local opinions. Please askcandidates for the council elections on May 22nd if they will supportCharing Cross and Hammersmith remaining as major emergency hospitals.

Write to us at SOH, c/o 7 Kimbell Gardens, London SW6 6QG.

www.saveourhospitals.net

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