| Enfield Council in north London has said it will seek a judicial review against the decision to close maternity and A&E units at Chase Farm Hospital. The local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) announced the labour ward will close in mid-November and the A&E will close on 9 December. The services will move to Barnet and North Middlesex hospitals, where new midwife-led units are being developed. The council said it was a "grave breach" of residents' expectations. The changes are part of a plan which was given approval by former health secretary Andrew Lansley to reorganise hospital services. The plans, which have been under discussion for several years and will see the hospital now focussing on non-emergency care, have faced strong opposition from health campaigners, GPs and the council. 'More senior doctors' Enfield Council leader Doug Taylor said: "For many years the people of Enfield have been assured that improvements to primary care would be in place before the closure of the A&E and maternity services at Chase Farm Hospital. Continue reading the main story Analysis Karl Mercer Political Correspondent, BBC London -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, after nearly a decade, it seems the future of Chase Farm has been settled. Local GPs have said the long-planned closure of its A&E and maternity units can go ahead. It could put to bed a story that started back in 2004 with a document called "Healthy Hospitals". When the A&E closes for the last time on 9 December it will mark the end of a process that has seen mass demonstrations, legal challenges, political campaigns and referrals to a number of NHS bodies. If ever you wanted an example of how hard change can be in the health service, Chase Farm is it. It will be an argument played out again and again across London in the months ahead. And like many of those arguments it may yet face a court challenge. So, after a decade, the final chapter may not yet have been written. "The CCG's decision to go ahead without these promises being fulfilled is a grave breach of our residents' legitimate expectations." He said the CCG had ignored several preconditions set down by the government as far back as 2008, and the decision to close the services without meeting those conditions was unlawful. "These conditions required that a number of new sites were to be developed to provide improved primary care services to the people of Enfield before the A&E and maternity departments could be closed. "There are also a number of other conditions relating to the provision of services by GPs which should have been fulfilled before closure." Mr Taylor said he had written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt "urging him to halt proceedings until our concerns are addressed". But the CCG said the decision on the timing of the closures was founded on robust, clinically-led decision making. Liz Wise, chief officer for Enfield CCG and senior responsible officer for the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey clinical strategy, said: "Changes under the strategy mean more senior emergency doctors in A&E, better maternity care in modern labour wards and improved children's inpatient services. "We have always said changes will only be implemented when we have assurances that safe, high quality services can be provided for the local population. These assurances have been met, and I am pleased the decision has been made to press ahead." **** Hospital unit closure challenged Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust 26 September, 2013 | By The Press Association A council is to mount a legal challenge over the closure of maternity and A&E units that David Cameron once vowed to save. Enfield Council said it would seek a judicial review after the local clinical commissioning groups decided to press ahead with plans to close the services at Chase Farm hospital in north London. The move means Chase Farm will concentrate on non-emergency care, with patients relying on nearby North Middlesex and Barnet hospitals for A&E and maternity. In opposition, Mr Cameron promised a “bare-knuckle fight” over the closure of local hospital services, promising to protect Chase Farm from an “unjustified” top-down reorganisation. Former health secretary Andrew Lansley also delayed plans to close the units following a public outcry. Enfield Council’s leader Doug Taylor said: “For many years the people of Enfield have been assured that improvements to primary care would be in place before the closure of the A&E and maternity services at Chase Farm Hospital. “The CCG’s decision today to go ahead without these promises being fulfilled is a grave breach of our residents’ legitimate expectations.” He said no decision should have been taken to close the services without prior compliance with preconditions set down by the government as far back as 2008. “These conditions required that a number of new sites were to be developed to provide improved primary care services to the people of Enfield before the A&E and maternity departments could be closed,” he added. “There are also a number of other conditions relating to the provision of services by GPs which should have been fulfilled before closure. Very few of these conditions have in fact been met. “Because of the importance of these facilities to Enfield, the council have taken legal advice and have been told that this closure decision without compliance with the preconditions and discharge of the assurances given by two different secretaries of state is unlawful and could be challenged by way of judicial review. “We will now be preparing that challenge on behalf of the residents of Enfield. “The council does not believe that residents are convinced by the arguments to close Chase Farm’s vital A&E and maternity departments without the appropriate primary care services being in place and expect their elected representatives - MPs, councillors and community leaders - to protect local health services.” Mr Taylor said he has written to health secretary Jeremy Hunt “urging him to halt proceedings until our concerns are addressed”. The controversy over Chase Farm has more than spanned over a decade. The decision to close the services was made by members of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey clinical commissioning groups. Maternity and inpatient paediatric services will close on 20 November and the A&E department will shut on 9 December. Chase Farm will still operate an urgent care centre for minor injuries, burns or illness but this will not remain open overnight. Tim Peachey, chief executive of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust, said: “This is the final piece in the jigsaw that will mean a bigger, better-equipped A&E department at Barnet Hospital, with more consultants, more nurses and a dedicated CT scanner. “There will be more consultant input to A&E from physicians, surgeons and gynaecologists and nearly 100 hours a week consultant cover in the maternity unit labour ward. “Many people who currently use Chase Farm Hospital will continue to use Chase Farm Hospital, which will still see 200,000-plus patients a year. “The hospital will become the local centre of excellence for planned surgery and antenatal services, as well as outpatient and diagnostic services. It will also have assessment units for children and for older people. “The new urgent care centre at Chase Farm Hospital will still treat many of those who currently use A&E, 365 days a year. There is also a GP-led out-of-hours service for when the centre is closed at night-time.” |