Hospital loses units after Cameron vow

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the decision regarding Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, north London, followed advice from an independent reconfiguration panel (IRP).

The move has been opposed by residents, local Tory MPs and nearby councils.

When Mr Cameron was in opposition he visited Chase Farm in October 2007 and said: “The closure of the units here are just one example of Labour’s cuts to the NHS.

“What I would say to Gordon Brown is, if you call an election on November 1, we’ll stop the closure of services at this hospital on November 2.”

Mr Cameron said Labour was saying “the days of the district general hospital are over”.

“If we win the election, we’ll have a moratorium to stop these closures and we’ll end this endless top-down reorganisation of the NHS that Labour keep doing.”

Mr Lansley said: “I know how strongly many local people and their representatives feel about this, and about the future of Chase Farm in particular.

“However, the safety and sustainability of local NHS services have to be the priority for all involved, and, as the IRP advice makes plain, both are at significant risk unless decisions are taken.”