Recently in Parliament, I held an Adjournment debate on urgent care centres in Hillingdon. This was in response to what has been overwhelming public opposition – including a petition made up of over 27,000 local voices – to the planned closure of the Urgent Care Centre at Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood by the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust.
Throughout the campaign, local people have shared with me how the service at Mount Vernon has been invaluable both to themselves and loved ones, and I even add my own personal experience to these many accounts. Local schools have also told me how, if there is an injury during the school day, minor injuries units are the ideal place to seek treatment. Similar has been said by older residents, who feel that the journey to – and experience of – A&E can be stressful and challenging. This is felt collectively by people not just in Hillingdon, but those in neighbouring Harrow, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
While the Trust have characterised this as a ‘relocation’ of the facility to Hillingdon Hospital’s A&E, that doesn’t make it any more palatable for those who will now face waits of potentially more than 10 hours in A&E instead of being seen inside an hour at a minor injuries unit. This highlights the disparity between a key objective of the Government’s 10-year plan for the NHS – to prioritise reducing A&E waiting times through greater access to walk-in centres and primary care hubs – and what we are experiencing locally.
So, while the Government continues to pat itself on the back, Ministers at the Department for Health and Social Care have repeatedly declined to intervene and support – not just an excellent service – but one that is already successfully providing exactly what they are hoping to achieve across the country.
Traffic – in all senses – at Hillingdon Hospital is also of concern, particularly in the context of the hospital rebuild on what is currently its car park. This creates a further argument for why a minor injuries unit away from the site is important over this period. It generates additional capacity to help with potential challenges at A&E and the logistical difficulties of accessing a hospital whose car park is already constrained and will be the building site for a new hospital. We have seen pre-construction works over the last few years already presenting significant challenges to residents, and so I remain concerned about the impact of the full rebuild.
Furthermore, Hillingdon as a borough has a unique set of challenges and pressures. It serves Heathrow airport, meaning that a large population of transitory people come through it every single day. Hillingdon also has the largest number of asylum seekers per capita of any other local authority in the country, with a significant number waiting in immigration detention. Both factors create additional pressure on our public services, and this includes Hillingdon Hospital’s A&E department. Minor injuries units is a means of beginning to remove some of that pressure for the benefit of residents.
During the debate, the Minister rightly highlighted the need for local accountability and consultation, but this has been woefully absent in the case of Mount Vernon where no such process has been followed. The omission of a consultation has removed the opportunity to clearly consider the implications of the decision and has left the community without a voice. Residents, local leaders and, most concerning of all, staff at the unit have not been able to meaningfully engage at any stage, leaving them consistently on the backfoot.
Of course, proposals to close this highly valued facility were always going to be met with resistance, but this complete lack of transparency has intensified frustration because people feel they have not been listened to. This is not in line with local democracy and that is unacceptable.
Lastly, I welcome that continued investment in NHS locally is providing additional healthcare facilities, such as the Northwood and Pinner Cottage Hospital. But whilst we are seeing this investment going in, it does not make up for the loss of a valued local service.
Planned closure of Mount Vernon Urgent Care Centre in Hillingdon lacks transparency, has failed to consult and has left people feeling frustrated
