South London Hospital for Women (Hansard, 15 November 1983)

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke

We have now given approval to the proposal by the Wandsworth health authority to close the South London hospital for women from 1 April 1984 and to provide the services which it offers in other hospitals within the District. Closure of the South London hospital will save about £5 million a year and the health authority plans to use part of these savings over the next few years to improve services for mentally ill people at Springfield hospital. In the long term, the resources released by closing the South London hospital will help to meet the running cost of the new phase IIA ward block at St. George's hospital, due to open in 1989–90. The proposal is therefore part of a policy which will produce a substantial impovement in local acute hospital facilities and a significant improvement in services for the mentally ill.

We have examined the Wandsworth health authority's plans for providing the services and facilities currently available at the South London hospital at St. James' and St. George's hospitals which are close by. We are quite satisfied that the additional work load call be absorbed by making better use of all available beds al these hospitals. We accept that there are many women who, for religious, cultural or other reasons, prefer to be seen by women doctors. The Wandsworth health authority has given an assurance that whenever possible it will continue to provide patients in the specialties of obstetrics, gynaecology, general medicine and general surgery with a choice of being seen and treated by male or female doctors in other hospitals within the district. In reaching this decision, we have also had to take account of the alternative options available to the Wandsworth health authority if it is to be able to open phase IIA of St. George's hospital, to improve services for the mentally ill and to remain within its statutory cash limits. We believe the alternative measures which would need to be taken, involving the closure of more acute beds in the district would not be in the best interests of Wandsworth residents. A larger allocation of cash to Wandsworth could only be at the expense of other parts of the region and the country, which could not possibly be justified. We do not hold back a central reserve of cash so that Government can finance schemes which district health authorities do not give high local priority to. We could only raise central finance of that kind by taking it back from other authorities, and we do not believe that we would be justified in doing that.

We believe that the Wandsworth health authority's proposals for closing the South London hospital are right in the light of all the circumstances and that they will enable other much needed developments to proceed which will benefit not only women but the local community as a whole.