Local news tells us, after the meeting between councillors, GPs and MPs on Monday, July 21, an outline case for the redevelopment of Chase Farm is to be put before the Royal Free Foundation Trust board, the document however, would not be made public. A planning application to Enfield Borough Council will be revealed to the public in November and we will finally see the building details, consultation with stakeholders, staff and neighbours living near the hospital, in accordance with planning rules.

The wider community, who have concerns regarding the health provision needed nearer to home, seem to be discounted.

The services set under the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy were more than the demolition of a general district hospital with its major services, or its estate used for housing. The Royal Free Foundation Trust appears to have discounted this obligation of the strategy providing polyclinics, urgent care centres and walk-in clinics in Enfield’s local communities, nearer to people’s homes, and to include more GPs, to prevent the overcrowding of the remaining hospitals, and this before any reduction of major hospital health services.

One wonders where the £263million of transitional funding is to come from to swell the Royal Free coffers over the next five years, and who is to benefit from this funding or from the sale of Chase Farm Hospital land. The provision of all straight forward pre-booked operations from all three hospitals was to be placed on Chase Farm Hospital site, and patients having had serious operations carried out elsewhere were also mooted to be accommodated at Chase Farm Hospital, to recover, which requires more than a building for an urgent care centre manned by GP and nurse provision only.

There are many unanswered questions.

Ivy Beard

Littlebrook Gdns, Cheshunt