A North West London hospital looks set to lose its minor injuries unit with the local NHS trust’s board recommending the service be relocated.
Documents seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) confirm a suggestion to close the Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Service (UCNPS) at Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, which Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says is “financially unsustainable”.
Rumours have circulated online for weeks and even reached Parliament by way of the local MP.
The UCNPS currently provides care for patients with minor injuries. The documents put together by Hillingdon Hospitals Trust recommends that the hospital board approve the closure of the UCNPS.
The document reads: “Rising costs for staffing, infrastructure, and clinical supplies have outpaced available resources.
“Continuing to operate services in their current form is financially unsustainable… by centralising our clinical expertise and resources we will ensure the urgent care service we provide is more sustainable and equitable for the future.”
Plans outline that staff will be moved to Hillingdon Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Hillingdon Hospital. By “consolidating services” at Hillingdon UTC the trust expects to “improve access for underserved populations”, and save £1 million per year.
Hillingdon Conservatives have launched a campaign to fight the looming closure. The group says its petition has already garnered over 12,000 signatures from residents, with calls growing for the Health Secretary to intervene.
David Simmonds MP says he will continue to fight to protect these services. In a statement he said: “This decision is a hammer blow to our community. Residents across Hillingdon, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire rely on Mount Vernon’s Urgent Care Centre, and its closure will put further strain on already stretched services elsewhere.
“Let me be clear, while this has been presented as a decision by the NHS trust, it is ultimately the Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting who has the power to stop it. He must take responsibility and act.”
The plans have led to a back and forth between Labour and Conservative politicians. The Leader of Hillingdon Council, Cllr Ian Edwards, said: “All Hillingdon Conservative councillors stand united against this closure. It is deeply disappointing that instead of defending residents or joining the campaign, Labour councillors have remained silent, and their local MP, Danny Beales, has chosen to blame NHS staff.
“That is completely unacceptable. We should be standing with our healthcare workers and fighting to protect local services — not trying to pass the buck.”
Danny Beales hit back against the claims, telling the LDRS: “The Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Service at Mount Vernon is really valued by those living nearby. Hillingdon Hospital Trust is responsible for deciding how best to spend its budget and which services to provide, where.
“I met with the trust multiple times on this issue and outlined the need to engage with and consult the local community before coming to any decision. The Hillingdon Conservatives’ faux outrage on this matter is both laughable and offensive, considering it was their government which oversaw the systematic gutting of our health service for 14 years, with spiralling waiting lists, unfunded pay commitments and staff shortages, leaving the UK with some of the worst health outcomes in the developed world.”
Cllr Sital Punja, Deputy Labour Leader at Hillingdon Council and Lead on Health and Social Care, told the LDRS: “Following years of underfunding and a £30 million debt inherited from the Conservative government, Hillingdon Hospital Trust have had to review their service provision ensuring the much-needed improvement and equity of healthcare throughout Hillingdon.
“I call on the trust to ensure local communities, who really value Mount Vernon’s Urgent Care provision, have their voices heard through a consultation process that feeds into the final decision-process.”
Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was contacted for comment.
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