A petition to protect some departments ‘under threat’ has been branded misleading.
Concerns about the closure of some departments at Croydon University Hospital culminated in a petition in the town centre at the end of last week.
In a clinician-led review (BSBV), the closures of the Accident and Emergency and Maternity Units at Croydon are said to be ‘the least preferred option’, but some are still concerned that the plans could change.
Steve Reed, MP for Croydon North, led the campaign to collect signatures. Although the BSBV suggests that units at Croydon University Hospital will expand, he believes that the hospital could become an ‘easy option for closure because of the silence in our area’.
The BSBV is a clinician-led review which aims to improve healthcare in London. A spokesman said that closures will ‘centralise’ a number of different services and bring ‘better results through round the clock care’.
Clare Martin, Head of Communications at Croydon University Hospital, said that the review was extremely good news for the borough.
“The investment in emergency care is all in the interests of patients, their families and staff,” she said.
Conservative MP for Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, wrote on his website that Mr Reed’s campaign is both ‘misleading and misguided’, and that the BSBV’s recommendations ‘are not government proposals.’
When told of the proposed closures, new mother Cristina Giuga, 25, said she was treated ‘really well’ at Croydon University Hospital and would be worried if departments were to close down.
“You need to have the hospital in your area,” she said.
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