This afternoon, I caught up with Lesley Watts and Alan McGlennan from the Hillingdon Hospitals Trust.
It was our first meeting since the closure of the Urgent Care Centre at Mount Vernon last September. When asked how the service was operating at Hillingdon’s A&E, the response was that everything is going well and the right decision was made. Frankly, I hadn’t expected to hear anything different from Lesley and Alan, but I will continue to ensure that data is transparent and scrutinised.
I was also updated on the progress of the new Hillingdon Hospital. As enabling work is due to start imminently, the Trust is reviewing which services will need to be decanted to nearby hospitals. This will include Mount Vernon, which I appreciate may be difficult to reconcile with the decision to move services away from the site not so long ago. Nevertheless, and despite the delay following the election of the Labour Government, I am pleased to see progress being made on this long-awaited project.
Also on the agenda was the cancer centre consultation, which led to a wider discussion about the future of facilities at the Mount Vernon site. I know this has been a worry for residents, particularly since the closure of the Urgent Care Centre. I want to see its long-term future safeguarded, and I will press for this on behalf of residents.
