A controversial healthcare review aiming to axe A&E, maternity and children’s services at Epsom and St Helier hospitals has again been delayed based on concerns about its financial viability.

A decision on the recommendations in the Better Services Better Value (BSBV) review, which aims to reconfigure acute services across Epsom, St Helier, Croydon, Kingston and St George’s hospitals, was due to be made at a crunch meeting later this month.

The seven clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the areas affected, together with NHS England, were due to meet, in public, to vote on whether the proposals to downgrade Epsom and St Helier should be put to public consultation.

But, BSBV has announced this morning that the local committee of the CCGs will now meet after the summer “to plan the next steps” due to concerns about the programme’s finances and consulting the public over the summer holiday period.

Dr David Finch, joint medical director for BSBV, said: “Clinicians in south west London and Surrey Downs are clear that local services need to change to give people better care and to ensure that services are sustainable in the future. 

“NHS England continues to support the case for change and clinical service proposals but has asked us to look once more at the finances to give absolute assurance before the programme progresses to the next stage.

“We have also listened to the concerns of stakeholders and MPs that we should not consult with the public over the summer, when people are often away.

“We want to make sure that local people are able to take part in the consultation.

“Given the further work to be done, the local committee of CCGs is now expected to meet after the summer to plan the next steps. 

“This decision is disappointing for the clinicians who are driving these changes.  It also causes further uncertainty for NHS patients and staff. 

“However, our recommendations will be all the stronger for the additional work suggested by NHS England.”

Delay welcomed

Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Epsom and St Helier Hospital trust, said: “BSBV have acknowledged the further uncertainty that this causes for NHS patients and staff, and I would echo that wholeheartedly.

“However, I also agree that the plans must be as robust as possible before moving to public consultation.

“In addition, I am happy that there will not be a public consultation over the summer when people are often away on holiday.

“I would like to remind our patients and local people that the BSBV proposals are only recommendations and that no decisions have been made at this stage.”

“In addition, should the proposals be agreed, we would not expect to see any change to services until 2017-18 at the earliest.”

Epsom and Ewell MP Chris Grayling said: “I’m obviously very glad they are not rushing headlong into consultation.

“I hope now that local GPs will take the time to look very carefully at Surrey options for Epsom and at ways to keep services intact.”

Councillor Ruth Dombey, leader of Sutton Council, said: “I am pleased that BSBV has listened to concerns over the financial viability of the programme and is looking into that again.

"We are also glad that the consultation will now take place after the summer so it can be more meaningful.

“However, the delay also means prolonging the agony of uncertainty for hospital staff and patients so we urge the NHS to scrap this entire flawed project and instead engage in a serious consultation about the future of healthcare in south west London.”

A spokesman for NHS England said: “We support the aims of the programme to make health services in South West London clinically and financially sustainable.

“NHS England is responsible for assuring these proposals to make sure they deliver the best care for patients and value for money for the taxpayer. 

"We understand that this delay will be disappointing for the clinicians involved, but we would not be doing our job properly unless we had completed a thorough review of the robustness of the proposals before they go to forward for public consultation.”

Mitcham and Morden MP, Siobhain McDonagh, said: “Obviously it’s good news that the Government has been forced to cave in.

"The pressure from local residents, and especially from Merton Council’s threat of Judicial Review, clearly made a big difference.

"Consultation about something as important as the future of a hospital should not place over the summer holidays.

“However, this is not over. Jeremy Hunt is leaving a sword hanging over the head of St Helier, when what he should do is call the whole process off.”

Councillor Stephen Alambritis, leader of Merton Council, said: “We are delighted with the news.  We pushed hard for the delay in the consultation. 

"It was wholly wrong to suggest that the consultation should take place over the summer holidays when people are away.  We are pleased that common sense has prevailed.”