Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to (a) close and (b) reduce services at the pediatric department at Ealing Hospital.

This is a matter for the local National Health Service.

As the hon. Member is aware, under the Shaping a Healthier Future reconfiguration programme, maternity services are being concentrated at consultant-staffed, 24-7 maternity units in six locations across North West London. The decision to move births away from Ealing Hospital was endorsed by an independent advisory panel and then the Health Secretary in October 2013.

In planning for these changes, clinical leaders examined the inter-dependent services at Ealing Hospital, and recommended that in-patient paediatric services will also need to move in order to maintain the staffing levels required to deliver high-quality services in line with quality standards to improve patient outcomes.

We are advised that the current proposal is for in-patient paediatric services to continue to be provided at Ealing Hospital until 30 June 2016.

There will be improvements to those paediatric services that will remain in place at Ealing Hospital after 30 June 2016. This includes the introduction of a new seven-day-a-week Rapid Access Clinic, which is expected to be operational by autumn 2015. The clinic will enable general practitioners to obtain same day specialist paediatric opinion for patients, where they believe it to be appropriate.

We are advised that Ealing Hospital will continue to provide a full paediatric outpatient service and a day-case service.