And it's not even their fault.

BBC report

Where do you start? Wasting the recent refit, or the idea we'll head to Woolwich rather than King's?

Crazy stupid, indescribable without expletives so time for a campaign?

Questionable move to the twilight zone of wider topics Admin - this is an SE23 problem

This really does need a campaign.
I'm suprised there hasnt been more press on it.
And I agree-its very much an SE23 issue

http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/

Follow the link above for details of ways in which you can take action. Demonstration on November 24th.

yes this is local to all SE23ers.

the only chance of saving it is if enough of the existing local groups, resident associations, church groups, school groups, neighbours, pull together behind it.

The march will be important, but has to only be the start. I know people on these boards are connected with lots of such groups and I really hope this issue can be put to the top of the agenda.

Lewisham is not the only A&E under threat in London - I hear there are 4 closing in NW London Hammersmith, Charing Cross, Central Middlesex and Ealing. There is a campaign up and running around those here http://saveourhospitals.net/

There may be more...

Press release now available here: http://www.tsa.nhs.uk/news/press-release...tober-2012

Documents to download here: http://www.tsa.nhs.uk/document-downloads

This makes me really cross. Its far enough to get to the Lewisham A&E from Forest Hill, £6 in a cab. How much of an emergency will it be to get all the way to Woolwich? According to the National Rail website, it takes 40 mins on the train (plus waiting and walking at both ends).

Just. Plain. Stupid.

I'm not defending any ideas about closing Lewisham A&E, but for many SE23 residents, isn't King's A&E at Camberwell just as close/convenient?

We'd all end up going to Kings, I think.

In reply to thenutfield - if you are on the Horniman side of SE23, yes Kings is closer. But if you are on the other side of the tracks, as I am (Perry Vale / Woolstone Road area) or in HOP, Lewisham is much nearer - I can be there in five minutes in the car without traffic, ten minutes even in rush hour.

True, it is closer to go to Kings, and Im sure that was taken into account when the decision was made - because its a different NHS trust to Lewisham Im sure there are financial/political reasons to hide the costs/patients.

Regardless of the reasons and alternatives, my 'local' hospital is being reallocated to somewhere not local and Im cross.

(My emphasis). This could be read as meaning that Lewisham Hospital A & E will stay open, but that those patients who turn up and are found to require inpatient treatment will be sent on elsewhere. Can anyone cast light?

There's a difference between 'emergency care' and 'urgent care'. According to the glossary:

"Emergency care: Treatment for medical and surgical emergencies that are likely to need admission to hospital. This includes severe pneumonia, diabetic coma, bleeding from the gut, complicated fractures that need surgery, and other serious illnesses."

Urgent care is where the patient won't need admitting to hospital:

"Urgent care centre (UCC): A centre that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These centres will treat most illnesses and injuries that people have which are not likely to need treatment in a hospital. This includes chest infections, asthma attacks, simple fractures, abdominal pain and infections of the ear, nose and throat."

An Accident & Emergency department deals with both types. The proposal (which was proposed 2(?) years ago and rejected) is to have an Urgent Care unit at Lewisham, and to have Emergency care elsewhere (Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich, although from s.155 below it seems some emergency cases are already/will continue at King's and St Thomas's).

From the draft report (http://www.tsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/file...T-WEB2.pdf) (bold is my emphasis):

"155. Emergency care for those suffering from a major trauma, stroke, heart attack and vascular problems should not change. The location for each of these services is:
• Major trauma services at King’s College Hospital;
• Hyper acute stroke services at Kings College Hospital and Princess Royal University Hospital;
• Heart attack services at St Thomas’s Hospital and King’s College Hospital; and
• Emergency vascular services at St Thomas’s Hospital.

156. .... the draft recommendation is that King’s College Hospital, Princess Royal University Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and St Thomas’s Hospital should provide emergency care for the most critically unwell. University Hospital Lewisham, Guy’s Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup should provide
urgent care for patients that do not need to be admitted to hospital.

157. The urgent care services at Guy’s Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup are already well established. The draft recommendation is for University Hospital Lewisham to have a 24/7 urgent care service that will treat around 77% of the people currently attending the A&E and urgent care services there. This is because the vast majority of patients with urgent care needs do not need to be admitted.

The types of conditions the services will be able to treat include:
• Illnesses and injuries not likely to need a stay in hospital;
• X-rays and other tests;
• Minor fracture (breaks);
• Stitching wounds;
• Draining abscesses that do not need general anaesthetic; and
• Minor ear, nose, throat and eye infections."

There are also proposals for maternity, and complex and non-complex elective surgery.

How do you know when you present yourself at an Urgent Care Centre that you won't need hospitalisation? And if you don't, will they send you to Woolwich without treating you first? Or does it mean that ambulances will be sent to different places? Presumably walk-ins will continue to be treated, whether they subsequently are shown to need hospitalisation or not.

Good questions rshdunlop - my son has been admitted and not admitted on different occasions for the same ailment. So what would I do?

And if, in the opinion of the Lewisham urgent care centre I need to be admitted as an inpatient, will they provide ambulance transport or shall I be told to get the bus to Woolwich (or Denmark Hill)?