Save King George Hospital campaign

Following this morning's services, there was a planning meeting held at St Paul's Goodmayes for The Save King George Hospital campaign. The campaign is a multi-party, multi-faith campaign to persuade Andrew Lansley, the Secretary of State for Health to stop the closure of A&E and maternity services at King George Hospital, Ilford.

Proposals to close vital services at Redbridge's only hospital have been approved. There will be no A&E and no maternity services provided resulting in a reduction in beds from 400 to 50. This means that most people who live in Redbridge will have to go to Queen's Hospital Romford. The effect will be:

• much longer travel times to get to a hospital, especially important for ambulances to get to A&E. Queen's Hospital Romford is 4½ miles from King George Hospital in Goodmayes along the A12, the worst A road in Britain;
• Queens Hospital will serve 700,000 people while inner London hospitals will each serve an average of just over 200,000;
• one hospital (Queens) will serve three boroughs, while the inner London boroughs will each have their own hospital;
• Queens will be unable to cope as this is already the case with ambulances frequently turned away because the hospital is full;
• no baby will be born in future in a Redbridge hospital;
• Redbridge will lose its maternity service while Barking has a new maternity unit;
• Redbridge will no longer have a major hospital while Barking and Dagenham will each get a community hospital.

This information comes from the campaign which is organising a public meeting, to be addressed by Iain Duncan Smith MP, Ken Livingstone, other faith and community speakers, at Ilford Town Hall on Friday 8th April, 6.00pm, at Ilford Town Hall.

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Sham 69 - Angels With Dirty Faces.