HOSPITALS face a major revamp across East London in a review of NHS services which could see one Accident & Emergency unit being closed down. A special committee suggests “one or two hospitals should no longer be required to provide A&E”

HOSPITALS face a major revamp across East London in a review of NHS services which could see one Accident & Emergency unit being closed down.

A special Government committee looking into six major hospitals suggests "one or two should no longer be required to provide A&E and critical care."

One is likely to be Ilford's King George Hospital in Goodmayes, which is at the bottom of the Care Commission's national 'League of Shame' published yesterday.

But by contrast the review by 'Health for North East London' says two major acute hospitals provide "a truly 24/seven service" in addition to specialist treatment, the Royal London in Whitechapel which is undergoing a �1 billion expansion and Queen's in Romford.

The review also suggests two or three hospitals will provide A&E and critical support, which are likely to be Homerton and Newham General.

The shock proposal to axe King George's A&E was revealed to senior staff this week by the hospital trust's chief executive John Gouldston.

Patients would need to go to Queen's in Romford or Whipps Cross in Leytonstone, both more than five miles away, to be treated for urgent or serious illness or accident, it was disclosed.

The Care Commission's poor findings for the NHS trust running King George's looked at its resources, children's and maternity services as well as its patient-mortality ratio.