North West London Healthcare Commission – Call for Evidence

From Michael Mansfield QC 

In 2012 the government consulted on proposals to make significant changes to the healthcare economy of North-West London, set out under the heading “Shaping a Healthier Future”. This involved the downgrading of several hospitals across North- West London to “local” hospitals without A&E provision, closure of acute provision and reduction or downgrading of specific services. It also promised commitments to investment in capacity of out-of-hospital and community services in order to offset reductions in acute provision.

Two years into implementation of “Shaping a Healthier Future”, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow Councils are keen to review its implementation; in particular, the impact of reductions to acute provision on the North West London population, the extent of progress with investment in capacity and capability of community and out-of-hospital services to meet local needs, and the extent to which demand for acute services has changed as a result of those investments.

The North West London Healthcare Commission was launched on 1 December 2014 by the four councils to review the impact of the changes to the North West London health economy, arising from the implementation of “Shaping a Healthier Future”, and to assess the likely impact of planned future changes. I have been appointed to chair the Commission and my fellow Commissioners are Dr John Lister and Dr Stephen Hirst.

In order to assist us in the task of reviewing the implemented and planned changes, I invite you to submit written evidence that may assist the Commission in its consideration of the impact of these changes on patient care in the area. Any such written evidence should be submitted by Monday 2 February 2015 to Peter Smith, Clerk to the Commission, at Hammersmith & Fulham Council. Submissions should be addressed to him at Room 39, Hammersmith Town Hall, London W6 9JU or sent by email to peter.smith@lbhf.gov.uk. Later submissions will be forwarded to the Commission but may not be given the same attention as those received by the deadline.

I look forward to reading any submission you may wish to make. Yours faithfully

Michael Mansfield QC
, Chair, North West London Healthcare Commission

Butt suggests combined West London Authority as 40% central staffing cuts sought in Brent budget

The  Report for the First Reading Debate on the Council Budget LINK was up on the Council website by 23.45 last night. It includes a section on the Borough Plan Consultation which is fast work as the consultation only closed at 5pm yesterday.

Full Council was changed from November 17th to December 8th ostensibly to enable a report on the Borough Plan to be made.

The report states (4.3)

Between 16 September and 28 November the council, with its partners undertook a major consultation exercise to gather information on local people's views of:

• The area where they live
• Their aspirations for the future of the borough
• Their spending priorities, including those services they felt should be protected and areas where they felt we could do less
• What more they, the community group, or others could do to help build strong communities in Brent in the context of shrinking public resources 

New free schools announced for Brent, Ealing and Harrow

The Government today announced 35 new free schools which are due to open in Sepotember 2015 although most of them do not yet have sites.

The blurb is from the DfE, not me.  I presume the Wembley Ark Primary is on the Copland site, now Ark Elvin, although it was not on the plans that went before the Council. Elsley Primary School is close by.

Gladstone and Gateway Secondary Free Schools failed to open last month as planned because they were unable to secure a building. Children had to go to other Brent secondary schools. Michaela has opened but building work is still in progress around the children.

Katharine Birbalsingh has started the process of bidding for a Michaela Primary Free School.

ARK Wembley Primary Academy, Brent, London

• primary (ages 4 to 11), 630 places (plus 60 in nursery)

ARK Wembley Primary Academy will be a mixed primary that will open in 2016 and build to full capacity of 630 pupils by 2022. The school will also have a 60 place nursery for 2- and 3-year-olds. ARK already runs 27 free schools and academies and will also open a free school in Ealing in 2017. ARK has a track record of running successful academies and free schools and the school will follow the successful ARK model by focusing on pupil success, with a commitment to developing aspirations and motivating pupils to achieve no matter what their background or prior attainment.

One Degree Academy, Brent, London

• all through (ages 4 to 18) 420 primary places, 300 secondary places, 120 post-16 places

The One Degree Academy, for 840 4- to 18-year-olds, has been put forward by the team behind the tried and tested One Degree Programme in Brent. The programme mentors local young people to develop their self-belief and transform their academic performance. The school will have very high expectations and aspirations for its students. The school’s curriculum will give students a global perspective and will make imaginative use of technology to enhance their learning.

ARK Ealing Academy, Ealing, London

• secondary school (ages 11 to 19), 900 secondary places, 300 post-16 places

ARK Ealing Academy will be a mixed school in Ealing, London. The school will open in 2017 and will eventually include a 300-place sixth form. ARK is a multi-academy sponsor with a track record of running successful academies and free schools. The school will follow the successful ARK model by having a strong focus on pupil success, a commitment to developing and building on aspirations, and motivating pupils to achieve regardless of their background or prior attainment.

North Twyford Church of England High School, Ealing, London

• secondary (ages 11 to 18), 1000 secondary places, 350 post-16 places

The trust that runs the popular and ‘outstanding’ Twyford C of E High School North is to open a new school in Ealing that will provide a rigorous academic education. All pupils will follow a core programme of English, maths, science, languages, history, geography and RE. Pupils will have longer afternoons for sport and creative programmes and will all have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. The school will have the same principles of embedding a positive ethos within a distinctively Christian framework of values while applying a non-faith, open admissions policy.

In Harrow secondary academies are combining to set up a primary school:

Harrow View Primary School, Harrow, London

• primary (ages 3 to 11), 630 places (plus 26 nursery places), 12 special educational needs places

7 successful Harrow academies:

• Bentley Wood High School
• Canons High School
• Harrow High School
• Hatch End High School
• Nower Hill High School
• Park High School
• Rooks Heath College

are collaborating to extend their high standards by setting up a brand new primary school. Harrow View Primary School will serve a new community in the Harrow View area which is being constructed on the old Kodak site. The proposed school will also include a 26 place nursery and specialist provision to support 12 pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in a mainstream setting.

The same schools, with the addition of Whitmore are setting up a High School in Pinner

Pinner High School, Harrow, London

• secondary school (ages 11 to 18), 900 mainstream places, 240 post-16 places, 12 special educational needs places

8 successful Harrow schools:

• Bentley Wood High School
• Canons High School
• Harrow High School
• Hatch End High School
• Nower Hill High School
• Park High School
• Whitmore School
• Rooks Heath College

are collaborating to extend their high standards by setting up a brand new community secondary school. The new school will build on the high academic standards achieved at these popular schools and create 1,152 places. The proposed school will also offer specialist provision for twelve pupils with autistic spectrum disorders, sustaining their education in a mainstream setting with specialised support and facilities.

Brent Council calls for modification of Mayoral Development Corporation' for Park Royal/Old Oak while Hammersmith & Fulham opposes in principle

Brent's Cabinet which meets tomorrow afternoon, will be considering its response to the proposed Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) that would take control of the regeneration of Old Oak Common and Park Royal. It would cover parts of Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham and Ealing.

Stephen Cowan, leader of  Hammersmith and Fulham Council, came out strongly against it in July, calling it a 'land grab'.

This council objects to an MDC at Old Oak and Park Royal. We are concerned about the Mayor of London’s record on delivering truly affordable homes for Londoners and do not believe he should be entrusted with sole responsibility on a scheme of this importance.

We are committed to changing housing policies so that we build homes for residents rather than investment properties for overseas speculators and look forward to working with Ealing and Brent councils to do that. There is no good business case for the Mayor to step in.

In fact, the move in government over the years has been to devolve more powers to local communities not take them away. The Mayor’s proposed organisation is a throwback to decades long gone, it would be undemocratic and unnecessarily takes away powers from local residents and local businesses and essentially hands them over to developers and unelected bureaucrats.

There is little information on Ealing Council's  response but Brent Council LINK does not follow Hammersmith and Fulham in opposing the MDC in principle:

To support delivery on the scale required there is no doubt a delivery body  with a strong regeneration focus is required. Without such a body there is a real risk that the opportunity HS2 and the Old Oak interchange presents for Brent will be missed. Arguably an MDC gives Brent greater influence over the proposals that will come forward at Old Oak as the Council will have representation on the decision making bodies.

The report goes on to seek some changes in the MDC brief..

In fact, when the Ealing Officer's report LINK sets out their demands if the MDC goes ahead despite their opposition, there is little difference between the two Councils.  Both seek changes in the borders of the MDC zone.  Both seek greater representation on the MDC and quote the Localism Act in their support. Both also seek assurances on the availability of genuinely affordable housing. Brent is also concerned about the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy).

Countering the MDC proposal Hammermsith and Fulham call for a Joint Area Action Plan:

The Council has also discussed the potential for a joint Area Action Plan that would include land from LBs of Ealing and Brent as well as LBHF. Officers from the three Boroughs have been working well together on this project for a considerable period of time meeting weekly with the GLA and TfL as a JointProject Team and reporting up to a Project Strategy Board. LBHF has resourced the project with key staff who have led on and significantly progressed the project. This process could continue (subject to discussion and agreement with LBs of Ealing and Brent) and a cross borough Area Action Plan could be progressed by the three boroughs without the considerable expense and administration involved insetting up an MDC.

This is not mentioned as far as I can see in the Brent report - Brent offers no alternative, just a modification of the MDC. It is surprising that in dealing with a Tory mayor that three Labour boroughs have not cooperated more on their response.

Brent Officers call for the following local benefits:

PARK ROYAL: Hammersmith & Fulham object to London Mayor usurping planning powers while Brent remains silent

This Guest Blog from Harlesden Blogspot highlights a neighbouring borough's  reaction to the London Mayor's proposal to take planning powers from Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham in order to develop the Old Oak Common and Park Royal site. So far Brent Council has been silent on the issue, merely advertising the consultation, which closes on September 24th, on its website LINK

The issue will be discussed at the Harlesden Brent Connects meeting on July 8th at Tavistock Hall, off the High Street AGENDA

A proposal to take local planning powers away on one of the capital’s biggest housing projects are ‘an anti-democratic land grab’ which gives the potential for the Mayor to allow the building of properties for overseas speculators rather than homes Londoners can afford, according to Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council.

The Mayor of London launched a consultation on plans to create a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) around Old Oak Common and Park Royal which is the area where the new High Speed 2 (HS2) hub station is expected to be built.

The MDC would assume planning powers within its borders, which span large parts of the north of H&F and parts of Brent and Ealing. H&F’s new administration objects to this and has raised concerns that this is nothing more than a land-grab designed to make life easier for the developers – at the cost of local people.

Old Oak and Park Royal Mayoral Development Corporation proposed

The boundary of the Old Oak Mayoral Development Corporation

The Mayor of London is inviting comments on the creation of a new mayoral development corporation covering Old Oak and Park Royal. It would cover a substantial area of south Brent.

This consultation will run for 14 weeks from 18 June to 24 September 2014, following which the Mayor will review all comments received and will consider how best to proceed with setting up the new Mayoral Development Corporation.

You can provide your comments via this link or alternatively you can directly email OldOakMDC@london.gov.uk with your comments and/or questions.

 

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 The aims of the MDC:

“Deliver the physical, social, economic and environmental regeneration of Old Oak and Park Royal. To secure maximum benefits from the newly planned transport improvements. To plan for the transformational change at Old Oak and at the same time work to protect and regenerate the industrial areas of Park Royal. A central objective of the Corporation would be to secure high-quality sustainable development and investment for the benefit of the area and the communities that surround it.”

What powers would a Mayoral Development Corporation have?

The Corporation would be responsible for planning the regeneration of Old Oak and Park Royal comprising powers relating to infrastructure, regeneration, land acquisitions including Compulsory Purchase Orders, streets, business and financial assistance, preparing local plans (including Community Infrastructure Levy) and determining large planning applications.

The London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham would continue to perform all other functions, including services related to: environment, health, social services, housing, leisure, culture, community, childcare, crime prevention, safety, education, highways, business and job support, licences, town centre management, Council Tax, student benefits and grants

When responding please indicate if you would like to be contacted about the preparation of future

plans for Old Oak and Park Royal and also provide your preferred contact details.

Alternative uses proposed for Central Middlesex Hospital after A&E closure

The Central Middlesex Accident and Emergency facility is still set to close despite extensive local opposition.  However the hospital is still being paid for through a Private Finance Initiative scheme so North West London NHS has to find ways of using the building to the maximum once the A&E is closed. It is claimed that just having an elective hospital there would result in an £11m recurring deficit.

At a Shaping a Healthier Future (SaHF) meeting on Thursday the initial plans were unveiled.  SaHF said that they want to make changes as 'soon as practicably possible' but also need to consider whether neighbouring A&Es are ready for transition and whether Central Middlesex and Hammersmith Urgent Care Centres are operating according to North West London wide specifications.

Options of using Central Middlesex as just an Elective Hospital (pre-arranged treatment) and the closure of the site were rejected. Instead SaHF opted for an option in which a 'Bundle of Services from multiple providers' would operate on the Central Middlesex site. After reducing an initial 'long list'  of possibilities their 'optimised proposal' is:

HUB PLUS FOR BRENT - A major hub for primary care and community services including additional out-patient clinics and relocation and expansion of community rehabilitation beds from Willesden Community Hospital.

ELECTIVE ORTHOPAEDIC CENTRE - A joint venture for local providers delivering modern elective orthopaedic services.

BRENT'S MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES - Transferred from Park Royal Centre for Mental Health.

REGIONAL GENETICS SERVICE - Relocated from Northwick Park Hospital.

These are in addition to a 24/7 Urgent Care Centre at Central Middlesex. The changes would necessitate considerable investment in the site.
 
In answer to my question SAHF  said Sickle Cell services would continue from Central Middlesex. They argued that the Hub Plus option would mean more primary care and community services available on site, direct access to diagnostic services, more out-patient clinics and that co-location would support integration.  Provision of community rehabilitation beds would have repercussions for the Willesden Community Hospital site with a possibility of other services moving there.including another GP service, or that some of it may be sold off.

SaHR said that dedicated planned/elective care would give the advantage of reduced length of stay and low infection and complication rates. It would be based on a 'proven model of care receiving high patient satisfaction' as provided by  the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre. It would be a joint venture between Northwick Park, Ealing, St Mary's and Charing Cross (Imperial) hospitals.

They claim that the transfer of Mental Health Services would mean better standards and a reduction in risk and the optimisation of care. Patients would benefit from a rebuilt mother and baby unit and moder pharmacy services that could also be used to support other services on the site.

The Regional Genetics Services provides outreach services across North West London and surrounding counties. It has two laboratories at Northwick Park which are independent of the general labs which are provided by a private provider. SaHF claim that moving it to Central Middlesex would 'allow profitable service lines to be developed' at Northwick Park.

It is proposed to hold an 'Options evaluation workshop with wide stakeholder audience' on the proposals on January 14th 2014.

Unfortunately the audience on Thursday was made up of people who were expert in the area, understood the jargon, and were on first name terms with the organisers. SAHF asked for ideas on how to engage more people, and apart from reducing the jargon, an idea that I put forward was for a special meeting about the proposals for the lead first aiders/welfare assistants of Brent schools  so that they can be briefed about the upcoming changes and can pass that knowledge on to parents of children who use those services.

Rally and rhetoric at WL People's Assembly but strategy needed

Owen Jones gets into his stride (Photo: Simerjit Gill)

 

About 100 attended the Assembly (Photo: Simerjit Gill)

Last night's West London People's Assembly was certainly a lively affair with many passionate speeches but I was a little concerned when I saw the chair of the meeting and 5 speakers on the platform. There was some anxiety at the main People's Assembly at Central Hall that it would be more of a rally than an organising meeting. In the event it was a bit of both. I was concerned that this local assembly, covering Brent, Hammersmith  & Fulham and Ealing, would also be more of a rally, although surely that must be where we  analyse and prioritise  local issues and our strategy?

Although speakers were keen to say they would not just describe how awful things are it inevitably becomes the main theme topped off with rousing calls for action and unity. This certainly raises morale but doesn't get down to the nitty gritty. Advertising trains and coaches for the Tory Party demonstration on September 29th is important but what are the next steps in keeping our local A&Es open or fighting the privatisation of our schools? How relevant is it to organise across boroughs when local councils, even of the same political complexion, are dealing with the cuts in such different ways?

 Next month there will be a founding meeting of the West London People's Assembly where its structure will be decided and officers elected and perhaps these issues will be discussed then.

As a common issue across the boroughs, and of course a national issues, the future of the NHS was prominent in the speeches and contributions as was the general theme of the poor being made to pay for the bankers' crisis, and the demonising of the poor by politicians and media in an effort to divide and rule. The focus on the real human stories behind austerity made us both more angry and more determined.

It was good that the Campaign Against Climate Change shared the platform with UK Uncut, hospital campaigners and trade unionists. Suzanne Jeffrey for CaCC made some telling points comparing  the economic and climate crises.

She said government and bankers knew the system was a sham but pretended there was no problem  or indeed that they were creating the problem, and when the crisis broke blamed it on over spending in the public sector and making the poor pay. Government and industry similarly pretended  there was no problem with climate change, denying their role in creating and increasing the problem, and then shifted the responsibility on to ordinary people and their life styles, or even worse on to people in developing countries.

Having just returned from the Green Party it was interesting to note that many of the solutions that Owen Jones proposed in his summing up are in fact Green Party policy.

Ealing a step nearer Judicial Review on hospital downgrading

Ealing Council has secured an oral hearing at the High Court on Wednesday, 9 October as it presses for a judicial review (JR) of plans to downgrade four local hospitals.

The council initially applied for a JR in March after the NHS approved plans to shut A&E departments and downgrade other services at Ealing, Central Middlesex, Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals despite increasing demand for emergency services.

This application was turned down so the council sought the oral hearing to press its case. If it is successful at the oral hearing, the council will be able to pursue a full JR.

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of the council, said: "The fight to ensure local people have the health services they deserve goes on. We will present our case forcibly at the oral hearing and pursue all other opportunities to ensure there is proper consideration of our serious concerns about what amounts to the largest experiment in NHS history.”

Concerns about the safety of the NHS plans and the ability of remaining services to cope have been raised by local campaigners as well as the council. The NHS has itself admitted that 'blue light' journeys to hospital will be longer for one in three patients if the plans go ahead.

The council has also referred the issue to the secretary of state for health, Jeremy Hunt MP, who responded by ordering an independent panel to review the NHS plans. The panel’s report will be presented to Mr Hunt by 13 September and his decision is expected around 40 days later.

NW London NHS vote to close Central Middlesex A&E with potentially life threatening consequences

Hospital campaigners from Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham assembled at a chilly 8.30am today outside the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster in the shadow of Parliament's Victoria Tower. They were protesting against Shaping a Healthier Future plans to close A&Es at Hammersmith, Charing Cross, Ealing and Central Middlesex Hospitals.

Their pleas were ignored just as were their letters, petitions and marches and the Trust went ahead and voted for all four closures.

Campaigners warned that the decision will hit many of the area's most vulnerable residents and could result  in life threatening delays for urgent treatment.

The ITN report on the demonstration and decision can be found HERE

Candlelit vigil marks start of week of action to save our hospitals

Campaigners marked the beginning of the Week of Action to Defend London's NHS with a candle lit vigil outside Central Middlesex Hospital tonight. The Central Middlesex A&E is threatened with closure under the Shaping a Healthier Future proposals. People from Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham joined in the vigil. Sarah Cox from Brent said that it was important that people across the three boroughs stayed united to guard against any attempts at divide and rule.

On Tuesday February 19th NHS NW London will be meeting at Central Hall Westminster to make decisions on the closure of A&E departments and many other services at Central Middlesex, Ealing, Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals. There will be a demonstration outside Central Hall from 8.30am.

Harlesden incinerator plans put on hold

The Brent and Kilburn Times is reporting that the application for an incinerator at Willesden Junction have been put on hold by Ealing Council. This follows a letter from HS2 regarding their need for the proposed site.

"A farrago, a sham, an utterly dishonest exercise"

It reminded me of those Victorian pictures of the ragged, scrawny child, barefoot in the snow, with nose pressed against a restaurant window staring at the big-bellied rich tucking into their suppers in a warm glow of complacency.

We were in the opulent surroundings of a ballroom in the Hilton Metropole, Edgware Road trying to tell the smooth, expensively suited gentlemen from NW London NHS on the platform just what untold damage their 'Shaping A Healthier Future' (SAHF) proposals would do the people of Harlesden and Stonebridge, two of London's poorest wards. The whole consultation exercise to reach a foregone conclusion has cost £7,000,000

We were presented with a IPSO/MORI consultation report that ignored the thousands who had signed petitions against the proposals but instead went on to suggest that that the far fewer people who had submitted a response to Options A, B or C (all rejected by the petitioners) somehow represented some kind of democratic endorsement. 66,000 signatories on 18 petitions were apparently counted as 18 responses.

Andy Slaughter MP summed it up:

This is a complete farrago,  a complete sham, a completely and utterly dishonest exercise!

This was the beginning of many exchanges about the consultation which I felt rather let IPSO/MORI take the fire that should have been aimed at NW London NHS for the inadequacy and downright dangerousness and dishonesty of their proposals.

Ann Drinkell, put her finger on the dangers towards the end of the Q and A session. She claimed that SAHF had been dishonest about the ability of community care being suddenly able to pick up on the slack when fewer people were admitted to hospital or stayed for a shorter period.

Everyone know we aspire to good community care, good palliative care, but everyone also knows how difficult it is.  It is disingenuous to suddenly think it will be unproblematic. The impact of restructuring and budget cuts on community care and social care will be enormous. You are treating us like children.

Dr Mark Spencer then proceeded to do just that, treating us to a couple of anodyne PowerPoint slides on the 'Programme of Work' and 'Clinical Review of Responses' that would now begin. We were not allowed to ask questi9ons about this.

After a buffet supper (those ragamuffins in my head again) we went into 'Stakeholder Workshops'. These were introduced by Lucy Ivimy, Chair of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, a Conservative councillor in Hammersmith and Fulham.

She said that the initial impetus for the proposals had been the rationalisation of Accident and Emergency wards in the area and the fall out was a consequence of this, The virtual closure of two hospitals had been hidden deep in the plans, Given the wide geographical area and the propensity of people wanting to protect their own local facilities it had not been possible for the Committee to reach agreement.

She said that there were two main concerns:
1. SAHF was premised on success of the out of hospital strategy. This had been promoted for years but in real life admissions had continued to rise. We need more evidence on the strategy and a firm path to follow.
2. Transport was a big issue. Although there was a claim from the ambulance survey that there was little impact on the 'blue light' journeys the majority of journeys to hospital are by other means including public transport. There had been no analysis of these journeys.

A skirmish followed about whether this represented the committee and it emerged that an initial very critical report had been replaced by a much sifter version which was the 'official report'.

The workshops that followed were actually very interesting and dealt with issues that should have been discussed prior to the formulation of the plans. The public were feeding back on their real lived experiences - not going through a desk-top exercise. The world turned upside down.

In the workshop I attended I protested once again that schools as stakeholder had not been consulted at all and that children had been left out at a time when the child population is rising and they will be making demands on the health service. Gurjinder Sandhu, a specialist in infectious diseases, working at Ealing Hospital backed this up describing the importance being able to access hospitals and their presence aiding recovery, how A&E picked up child protection issues and that the difficulty schools would have in trying to deal with fragmenting services.  A&E had a role in detecting TB which was very high in Southall and Ealing - not to mention  HIV.

In the workshop on Urgent Care Centre a disagreement became apparent between practitioners about how reliable UCCs were with a suggestion that staffing levels and expertise were poor and that this represented a risk to patients. This was even more so when there was no A&E on the same site as will be the case with Central Middlesex Hospital.

The strong underlying thread was that health services and access to health services would worsen for the most vulnerable. The ragamuffin has been left out in the cold.

Consultation feedback below:

Harlesden Town Team call for informed debate on Willesden Junction waste plant

The Harlesden Town Team issued this statement today:

A Statement on the Proposed Energy Recovery Centre at Willesden Junction

Harlesden Town Team were disappointed to learn about the proposed Energy Recovery Centre at Willesden Junction only after formal consultation by LB Ealing had ended. Although the site is closer to many more Harlesden residents than Ealing ones, Harlesden Town Team were not formally consulted. Brent Council planning officers were notified.

At this stage Harlesden Town Team has no view for or against the energy recovery centre. What we seek is an informed debate so that all Harlesden residents who could possibly be affected by the development are informed and their views sought. We expect that this number of households is considerably more than the 1,000 leafleted in the consultation, as the majority of Harlesden (Town)'s 10,000 households are directly down-wind.

We recognise the danger of much ill-informed comment that is starting to circulate and we therefore believe that wider explanation and consultation is urgently required.

To this end we shall discuss the development proposals at the next Harlesden Town Team meeting on Monday 12th November (Salvation Army Hall, 6.30pm). We expect representative of the developers, Ealing and Brent Council planners and local councillors from East Acton, Kensal Green and Harlesden to attend as well as those Harlesden residents that actually live in Ealing.

If, at the end of the meeting, a majority of our members consider it appropriate for the Town Team to take a position, then we shall do so.

It is worth noting that, earlier this year, Harlesden Town Team helped facilitate a consultation on changes to Harlesden High Street which covered over 10,000 households and achieved a 10% response rate.

Don't let the ConDems make a casualty of our NHS

Hospital campaigners from Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham and Ealing converged on the NW London NHS headquarters in central London today to hand in petitions containing thousands of names opposing the closure of A&Es across West London. Some campaigners wore bandages to dramatise the threat to local people.

The consultation on Shaping a Healthier Future ends at midnight tonight. www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk  for the online consultation form  or e-mail to consultation@nw.london.nhs.uk