Epsom A&E pressure if St Helier closures go ahead
25th June 2012
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Thousands of patients from Sutton are expected to be treated at Epsom Hospital's accident and emergency (A&E) department if St Helier Hospital's A&E closes.

NHS SW London's Better Services, Better Value Review (BSBV) is proposing St Helier Hospital's A&E, maternity, and children's wards close by 2016-17, so other accident and emergency departments across SW London can be improved.

But figures released by BSBV this week show 23 per cent of patients - or 8,889 patients- who would have used St Helier's A&E are predicted to go to the Surrey hospital instead if the planned closures go ahead, meaning those patients would not benefit from the A&E improvements being used by BSBV to justify the St Helier closure.

Epsom's A&E would have to expand to cope with demand.

The hospital estimates its A&E could currently deal with another 6,700 patients a year.

The news has sparked further debate over how far people would travel for their A&E and maternity services, and whether predictions being modelled by NHS SW London to justify their proposals are reliable, and would make their plan financially viable.

Read article by Matt Watts at YourLocalGuardian

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