Alan Johnson given geography lesson by Enfield Health Scrutiny Panel

Following the recent announcement that A&E is to close at Chase Farm Hospital, and the surrounding controversy about the lack of proper consultation, Cllr Anne-Marie Pearce, Chairman of Enfield’s Health Scrutiny Panel voiced her shock today about a letter from Alan Johnson that refers to Enfield being in East Sussex!

Cllr Pearce – Fighting for Chase Farm A&E.

The letter, dated 4th September and sent to David Burrowes MP, refers to ‘sustainable and accessible maternity services in East Sussex’ and refers to Mr Johnson’s reply to the Chair of the ‘East Sussex Health and Overview and Scrutiny Committee’.

Cllr Pearce said, “This letter is a disgrace. It seems to be some kind of cut and paste affair, which was done with no thought or care.

“If Alan Johnson does not even know where Enfield is, how can he make such an important decision?”

Health chiefs have only now admitted that the cost of downgrading Chase Farm and revamping North Middlesex and Barnet Hospital is going to cost even more than the £100m, which was pledged throughout the public consultation.

Cllr Pearce continued “Now it seems that Averil Dongworth, Chief Executive of Chase Farm and Barnet Hospital knew that it would cost more than this all along, and yet did not mention this before the Independent Reconfiguration Panel made it’s decision.

“The whole thing has been mishandled, and the people of Enfield and its surrounding areas will end up suffering.

“Make no mistake, the fight is not over. We will continue to do all we can to try and keep the A&E at Chase Farm open, as we truly believe that once these front line services have been lost then a few years down the line the hospital will face closure. Like we said at the start of this campaign ‘Will CHASE FARM work without the A & E?’

“We must act now to stop this.

“Alan Johnson doesn’t even know where we are, so it’s up to us to put Chase Farm A&E back on the map!”

This document was last updated on 2008-09-18 15:23:14 published by the Communications team. Document Reference:LBE_133329