A DECISION on whether to have a public consultation over plans to close Epsom Hopsital's A&E and maternity wards could be made this month.
The Better Services, Better Value (BSBV) review of health services in south-west London and Surrey has recommended the closure of both units, which sparked outrage in Mole Valley after it was announced last month.
This was followed by a heated meeting at Epsom Downs racecourse when the Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) voted to send three of its members to a committee to decide whether the proposals should go to public consultation.
All seven of the Clinical Commissioning Groups affected by the BSBV review have now voted for this next stage to go ahead, meaning a committee of members from each of the groups will meet in the next few weeks to make a decision.
This latest development comes after protesters from the Keep Our NHS Public group demonstrated against cuts when health minister Jeremy Hunt came to speak to students at the University of Surrey in May.
It also came as national figures revealed this week that A&E waiting times are at a nine-year high, with more than 300,000 patients between January and March, having to wait over four hours to be seen.
Michael Bailey, joint medical director for BSBV, said: "We have read this week about A&Es struggling to cope with demand and patients who have had surgery being more likely to die at weekends due to fewer consultants working in hospitals.
"We already know the same is true of patients admitted in an emergency. It is clear the problems we are facing locally are not unique.
"The NHS needs to change."
The committee meeting of representatives from the CCGs will be held in public and each CCG will individually need to support the public consultation for it to go ahead.
