FRIMLEY Park Hospital's chief executive has spoken of his "delight and relief" at the probability that the foundation trust's accident and emergency department will escape closure. Contentious cost-cutting NHS reforms seem set to slash the county's five A&E services - currently located at Frimley, Guildford, Redhill, Epsom and Chertsey - by early 2009. "It is likely that Frimley Park will continue to provide the basic level of services it currently provides: it is unlikely that we are going to close our A&E," said Mr Morris. While this may be good news for some, the most likely emerging scenario will involve a "change of role for St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, or Guildford's Royal Surrey County Hospital", according to the East Surrey Primary Care Trust. "If the Royal Surrey was not to have a full- blown A&E, I think 95 per cent of the population around the Royal Surrey would still be within 35 minutes of a main accident department," he continued. In response to claims that the closure could be the difference between life or death, Mr Morris replied: "Within the health service there's what's called the golden hour. If involved in an incident and you can get to hospital within an hour, your potential for a good outcome is much greater. "We've also got paramedics on every front-line ambulance, which we didn't have decade ago, and they will do a lot more for you. They've got a main radio link back to the A&E and can get advice, and commence treatment at the scene. The reason for such drastic cuts is a £25 million debt facing Surrey's PCT - a sum which could swell to £120 million in three years if current financial trends continue. "Surrey has a big financial problem," admitted Mr Morris. "Once established, the new PCT has a real challenge of how can it live within its means and how can it transform services by making them different, closer to home, and modernise them with more of a reliance on primary care and less of a reliance on secondary care." Claiming that such reforms are "good for the patient," he continued to outline Frimley Park's increased future role, whose catchment area would increase should the Royal Surrey's A&E close. "Generally speaking, Surrey and Sussex suffer from having relatively small hospitals, serving small catchments, and as a consequence we are all struggling to provide services that comply with the standards that the Royal Colleges are imposing upon us. With a current catchment area of 365,000 people, Mr Morris spoke of his firm belief in Frimley's Park ability to cater for up to half a million people. "Most hospitals in Surrey are relatively small and serve relatively small catchments, and the Royal College's advice is you need around 500,000 people to provide a range of clinical standards that are top notch." "This will give us the opportunity to provide a more senior set of eyes on patients, which is what they want at the end of the day. "We've done it once before with the Cambridge, our activity increased by 33 per cent. We will rise to the challenge. We will deliver and provide a better-quality service." While the options are said to be "emerging" and therefore subject to change, it is anticipated that they will be approved by Surrey's PCT in October, before going to the Strategic Health Authority. It is then proposed that the matter be put to a three-month public consultancy.
