QPR 1st formally responded to a consultation on proposals to close a number of accident and emergency departments, including the department at Hammersmith Hospital, close to Loftus Road.
QPR 1st made clear our opposition to proposals for accident and emergency department closures and the downgrading of hospitals in Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing and Brent.
MPs and councilors of all three major parties have opposed the proposals as have Hammersmith and Fulham and Ealing councils and QPR itself.
As a result of position we received comments from a number of local politicians.
MP for Hammersmith Andy Slaughter said “We are very grateful to you – and the club and the team – for your support on this vital issue. As you say, the number of mass public events, not just QPR matches, is one reason why closing A&E at Hammersmith is folly.”
Local councillors Nicholas Botterill (the Conservative council leader) and Stephen Cowan (Labour group leader) thanked us.
Cllr Marcus Ginn (Council cabinet member leading on the issue) said “Your efforts are much appreciated and we must stay in touch.”
Cllr Iain Coleman, who represents the ward including Loftus road said our support for the campaign was “Great news from QPR 1st. Look forward to campaigning with you on this in future.”
The trust pointed out that, each matchday, around 18,000 people converge on Loftus Road, close to Hammersmith Hospital. The hospital’s threatened accident and emergency department is close to a big resident population and large numbers of visitors to the ground and nearby Westfield, and should be kept open.
Some 700,000 people, including many QPR supporters and their families, live in the affected boroughs of Ealing, Brent and Hammersmith and Fulham. We believe it would be wrong to strip these boroughs of all their major hospitals.”
The official consultation, organised by NHS North West London, has ended. NHS North West London has organised a public meeting for 28 November at the Hilton Metropole on the Edgeware Road where they will present the outcome of the consultation, but a final decision is not expected until the new year.
More information on the campaign against the proposals is on www.saveourhospitals.net, www.andyslaughter.co.uk and the Ealing council site www.ealing.gov.uk, or on the campaign facebook page http://www.facebook.com/helpsoh