WHITTINGTON A&E CAMPAIGN: REVOLT OF THE CONSULTANTS

Published: 26 March, 2010
by TOM FOOT

MORE than 100 medical consultants at the Whittington have united in an unprecedented protest at plans to strip the hospital of its accident and emergency department.

It is the first time in at least 25 years that consultants at the Archway hospital have issued a joint public statement. They say the A&E must stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Dr Ben Timmis, consultant radiologist and chairman of the hospital’s medical committee, said: “It is extremely unusual for consultants to come out like this. I have been at the hospital for 26 years and this has never been done before. 

“There has been absolutely no dissent. We are talking about 100 consultants with up to 25 years’ experience – that’s more than 1,000 years of experience. That’s quite a weight of medical opinion.”

So far, the North Central London sector trust – the health authority implementing a review of hospital services across north London – has argued that its proposals are backed by strong “clinical evidence”.

Bureaucrats have told public meetings that medical experts support moving services out of hospitals and into community health centres. That argument has been ripped apart by the Whittington consultants.

They say in their statement: “Closure of the accident and emergency department would by necessity lead to the shutting down of all emergency medical and surgical services at the Whittington. We, the consultants of The Whittington Hospital, are completely committed to retaining a high-quality, full 24/7 accident and emergency department at The Whittington.

“We have no doubt that retaining a full accident and emergency at The Whittington is in the best interests of the people in North Central London. The Whittington Hospital has consistently performed superbly. We are immensely proud of the excellent emergency services we offer to our local people, and we are determined they should continue.” 

The statement adds: “We also fully recognise the need for the NHS to optimise the efficiency and productivity of its services in the current economic climate.”

Stephen Campion, chief executive of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA), said: “When it gets to the point that so many consultants feel they have to express their views in this way, you know it is a major issue that needs to be addressed. 

“It may well be they have been ignored and felt the need to put their medical opinions about the best interest of patients on the record.” 

The Darzi review of London healthcare was always going to be a political hot potato, he added. “Without knowing the details of the care, there is a line and what this shows is that it has been crossed,” he said.

“The only place I can think of where this happened recently was at North Staffordshire.”

At a packed meeting in Whittington Community Centre on Monday, campaigners agreed to hold a second day of action to follow up on last month’s mass march.

Through Thursday, April 29 – a week before the expected general election – campaigners will stage stunts and public events across Islington and Camden before a rally likely to take place outside the hospital from midday.

The campaign has been buoyed by the intervention of health minister Mike O’Brien at a Westminster Hall debate last week. The minister said he would “find it difficult to accept” any cuts to Whittington A&E.

Meanwhile, Tory shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has waded into the debate.

Mr Lansley telephoned the Tribune on Monday night to announce he would “press the reset button” on the review of hospital services across north London. 

He said: “When it comes to the Whittington, it makes no sense. You cannot take away an A&E where around 90,000 attend each year. If there had been a gradual reduction in admissions, it might be acceptable. But there is no evidence of that here. If we were elected we would stop the current process. We would press the reset button.”

To get involved with the campaign, visit www.dwhc.org