I was sorry to read that David Burrowes MP had such an terrible ordeal at North Middlesex accident and emergency unit and I am pleased he is now on the mend. Unfortunately, his is the second case I have heard of recently of a patient suffering a ruptured appendix after being made to wait too long in A&E.

Although I welcome the recent CQC report found many good areas of care and that the staff were commended for their compassionate care, the report also found that A&E staffing levels were too low and managers were “fire fighting issues”.

This comes as no surprise to members of Enfield Borough Council’s health panel and local health campaigners who consistently argued that the removal of A&E at Chase Farm was a mistake and North Middlesex would not be able to cope with the extra demand.

We were given endless assurances that measures were in place and patients would receive better quality care.

The council believed that if primary healthcare services were not sufficiently developed enough to prevent patients going to A&E and inevitably, North Middlesex would be unable to meet the need of a growing number of patients needing urgent care.

Cuts to the NHS are a national issue but Enfield seems to be suffering more than most areas. Our residents are waiting longer and longer for GP and hospital appointments as the cuts to services take hold. Despite Tory promises to protect spending on the NHS, they have cut it by £20billion with more to come.

Mr Burrowes was present at the meeting where the Clinical Commissioning Group, under the direction of the Secretary of State for Health, announced their decision to close A&E and maternity at Chase Farm.

He fully supported this decision and stood up and publicly said so.

I bet he now wishes he had spoken up against the closure sooner.

Cllr Alev Cazimoglu

Lab/Enfield Highway ward Enfield Borough Council