Front door of Rivercourt Church at last nights rally against A&E cuts

Last night l was at a packed Rivercourt Methodist church meeting with more then 200 people in attendance to hear how they intend to fight plans to shut the accident and emergence departments ( A & E units ) at Charing Cross and Hammersmith in the London borough of Hammersmith & Fulham organised by local MP Andy Slaughter.

During the proceedings, we heard how getting to other hospitals like St Marys in Paddington and Chelsea & Westminster instead would be a nightmare and how many had relied on the services of the hospitals in Hammersmith & Fulham in critical moments of their families lifes.  

While not a resident of Hammersmith & Fulham, l for one was not reassured that people like myself in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea have been spared as residents from Hammersmith & Fulham are expected to go to St Marys and Chelsea & Westminster instead. At the best of times the A & E units at these hospitals can just about cope with the demands made on them particularly as attendances have soared in recent years. So l not sure both could cope with the additional demands made by residents of Hammersmith, particularly as we know London NHS is facing massive cuts anyway across the board.  This on top of the inaccessibility of these hospitals from Fulham & Hammersmith.

The consultation for the wholesale changes will begin from next monday for a three month period and NHS North West London can expect a very hard time over their recommendations outlined at their board meeting on monday night. Its important other residents in the North-West of London region also fight them along with the residents of Hammersmith & Fulham.