MPs whose constituents use North Middlesex hospital are accusing Jeremy Hunt of letting it descend into “complete meltdown” by allowing a nearby A&E unit to shut.
Joan Ryan, the Labour MP for Enfield North, says that the controversial closure of the emergency department at Chase Farm hospital in 2013 has led to such high extra demand for A&E care at North Middlesex that it cannot cope and has left it “in a crisis”.
The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that the emergency department at the North Middlesex may become the first in the NHS’s 68-year history to be shut because it is a danger to patients. The General Medical Council and Health Education England have warned the trust that they may remove the 26 junior doctors from its under-fire A&E because of fears for patient safety.
“This is a crisis for all the people who need and use North Middlesex and this is a crisis for the hospital”, said Ryan, a former Labour home office minster. She was unsure if the department is safe to use, she added.
“My biggest concern is whether this [unit] is safe,” she said. “Is it 100% for local MPs’ constituents? At the moment I don’t know if it is. Problems, especially the lack of A&E consultants, have been accumulating for two years, and have accelerated in their impact, but we’ve not had effective measures to deal with that.”
Labour colleague David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham – many of whose voters also use the hospital, said the hospital’s plight was so serious that the health secretary needed to explain to MPs how it had developed such a serious range of problems.
“Would Jeremy Hunt be comfortable with his own parents or his own children being treated at this hospital?” asked Lammy, a former health minister. “This is a hospital in complete meltdown because of the decision made by the Department of Health to close Chase Farm’s A&E unit in 2013.”
“Is the hospital’s leadership going to assure us that this hospital is safe for our constituents?” Ryan asked.
“I’m concerned as to whether we have the leadership at the hospital to take us through this situation and out the other side so that we have an A&E that we have full confidence in.”
She and Labour colleague Kate Osamor, in whose Edmonton constituency the hospital sits, wrote last week to Hunt demanding an urgent meeting over the situation at North Middlesex. They are demanding the early release of the findings of an inspection of the emergency department undertaken by personnel from the Care Quality Commission watchdog in April.
NHS England confirmed the Guardian’s disclosure that, in an unusual move, it is trying to persuade other London hospitals to lend North Middlesex some A&E doctors. “North Middlesex university hospital plays a vital role in delivering safe emergency care for a large and diverse population and as such neighbouring trusts have rallied together to provide support,” a spokesman said.
“Some of this support will be in the form of seconding in senior middle grade and consultant medical staff to [North Middlesex] for a period of time. This will allow the trust to meet the required A&E staffing standards 24/7, while longer-term solutions in the recruitment of permanent staff are also underway”, he added.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said it was satisfied with the action being taken by an array of NHS bodies and regulators, which involves NHS Improvement, the GMC, HEE and NHS England. “The department is aware of the situation at North Middlesex and we are confident that the relevant regulatory bodies, led by NHS Improvement, are taking appropriate action,” she said. “Patient safety is our absolute priority, and we and our partners won’t hesitate to act where there are concerns.”
