Queen Mary’s Hospital: Urgent Care Services

Opened the debate

Fleur Anderson highlighted the urgent need to reopen the closed urgent treatment centre and pharmacy at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton. She emphasised that the closure, initiated due to pandemic-related concerns over social distancing, is causing significant inconvenience and health risks for local residents who now face long travel times or forego medical attention altogether. Anderson cited numerous examples of constituents suffering from delayed treatments and stressed the importance of keeping the service walk-in accessible without requiring bookings. She acknowledged the difficult decisions made during the peak of the pandemic but urged immediate action before winter arrives to mitigate further health risks.

Government Response

Minister Edward Argar acknowledged the concerns raised by Fleur Anderson about the closure of Queen Mary’s Hospital’s urgent treatment centre. He highlighted that the decision to close was made based on clinical advice for safety during the pandemic. While a reopening date has not been set, Argar committed to follow up with the hospital trust and local commissioners to establish a safe model of care before reopening. He assured Anderson that he would raise the matter directly with the chief executive and offered to meet her in person to discuss further details. The Minister also addressed the broader issue of cancer services and highlighted ongoing efforts to restore urgent non-covid healthcare services safely, including £3 billion additional funding for the NHS. Argar emphasised the importance of reopening services that were temporarily closed due to the pandemic as soon as it is safe.