It’s been a long fight – and one I’ve helped to lead – so I’m delighted and relieved that it looks like the threat of closure of our A&E at King George Hospital will be finally lifted.
Next week a proposal to lift the closure will be considered by the Joint committee of the Clinical Commissioning Groups for Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham and Havering.
This is a big moment. It means the debate will now shift to what A&E provision at King George looks like, instead of how and when it is closed. It also means we can shift our focus to a much-needed look at the whole NHS coverage in Redbridge – from GP access to waiting times for operations.
I’m really proud of the role we’ve played to make this campaign a success – from gathering over 10,000 signatures for my Parliamentary petition to a demonstration through the streets of Ilford. With Mike Gapes MP and Jas Athwal – Leader of Redbridge Council – working with so many people across our community, this was a real team effort.
Thank you to everyone involved. You helped make this happen.