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Olympic legend urges support for keeping A&E at Chelsea and Westminster

24 August 2012

Olympic legend and two-time Gold Medallist Daley Thompson, who visited Chelsea and Westminster Hospital recently to put more than 100 staff through their paces during a pre-Olympics lunchtime exercise class, is supporting the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign to keep A&E and other vital services including Maternity at Chelsea and Westminster.

Olympic legend and two-time Gold Medallist Daley Thompson, who visited Chelsea and Westminster Hospital recently to put more than 100 staff through their paces during a pre-Olympics lunchtime exercise class, is supporting the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign to keep A&E and other vital services including Maternity at Chelsea and Westminster.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has launched the campaign in response to a public consultation that threatens the future of A&E and other key services such as maternity and paediatrics.

The Shaping a healthier future consultation on NHS services in North West London drawn up by GPs, hospital doctors and other health experts proposes that all 9 acute hospitals in North West London should continue to provide local hospital services, but only 5 of these will be ‘major hospitals’ providing a full A&E service, emergency surgery, maternity and paediatric services.

While retaining Chelsea and Westminster as a major hospital is the preferred option (Option A), this is currently subject to public consultation and the campaign seeks to encourage support for Option A in this process.

Daley Thompson said: "Chelsea and Westminster is a great hospital with fantastic staff who do a great job caring for more than 300,000 people every year. I have had personal experience of the excellent standards of care provided at Chelsea and Westminster when my partner had our baby here.

“It would be a travesty if the hospital lost its A&E Department which would also mean the loss of the Maternity Unit and many other life-saving services. I would encourage as many people as possible to support the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign to keep A&E at Chelsea and Westminster by completing the consultation form voting for Option A at www.safeinourhands.info.”

Acting Chief Executive and Medical Director, Dr Mike Anderson said:

“Losing A&E at Chelsea and Westminster would be catastrophic for the Trust and the communities we care for so we must continue to promote the consultation and encourage all of our supporters to complete the survey and vote for Option A to keep A&E here.”