The report contains some astoundingly shoddy research. The highly-publicised call to reduce trom si hospitals to just 30 is based on an incomplete King's Fund list that leaves out one teaching hospital (St Mary's) a whole health authority (Richmond, and 19000a Rochampton) and a moderr ocal hospital (Harold Wood) In fact there are 4i major units.
Premature closure geographical ignorance that ropose that Redbridge healt uthority should be one of three (along with Ealing and Haringey) singled out to lose ts existing acute hospital -lespite the fact that Redbridge is currently building a brand seneral hospita. at Goodmayes - condemned to close before it even opens!
The King's Fund's list of hospital closures in London is live years and shousands beds out of date: it includes three hospitals that aren't in London, and one that is still open!
Of course the press - includins the trendses on the Guar dian, which accepted the latched on to the King's Fund's utopian proposals to replace acute hospital beds with localised, community-based services and new-model 'cottage hospitals.
But the idea that 15 bust hospitals could be replaced by just €250 million worth of Community Health 300 Club