Statement on Keep Our NHS Public Meeting

We comment on media reports about an upcoming public meeting, hosted by the Islington branch of Keep our NHS Public, about the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) for NHS services in north central London.

Simon Pleydell, Chief Executive of Whittington Health NHS Trust, said: “We can confirm that our Chairman and senior managers will be attending the meeting. We will talk about the opportunities the new STP offers to improve health services in Islington through closer working with the council and other NHS partners. 
 
“There are no plans to close or downgrade Whittington Health’s Accident & Emergency Department.  More and more people attend our Accident & Emergency Department. Numbers have risen from 240 a day to 340 a day in the past year. We are busy recruiting more consultants. At the same time we are treating more patients in their own home through improved community services.
 
“We welcome the opportunity to continue to work with the Islington and Haringey Wellbeing Partnership Board and develop better integration between health and social care.
 
“There have been restrictions on public engagement until now but we welcome this first opportunity to share the plan more widely.”

More information on STP plans for north central London can be found here