Tory Chris Philp defends his bid to save stroke unit

HE has been criticised as “misleading”, labelled “scurrilous”, “unfit for office” and even compared to a “Nazi storm-trooper” – but was Conservative councillor Chris Philp right to try to save the Royal Free Hospital’s emergency stroke unit?

The Tory candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn clashed with Liberal Democrat councillors at Monday night’s full council meeting during a debate on the decision to transfer “hyper acute” treatment to a specialist stroke centre at University College London Hospital. 

While the new unit promises speedy assessments and round-the-clock access to crucial clot-busting drugs, Cllr Philp believes the longer journeys facing stroke victims could undermine their recovery.

He said: “Time is critical when it comes to strokes – every minute makes a difference. If you live in Hampstead, Brent or Barnet, it will take longer to travel to UCLH.”

Somers Town Labour ward councillor Roger Robinson said: “I agree totally with Cllr Philp – and it’s not often I do that. This idea is unbelievably stupid.”

But the council’s health scrutiny committee chairman, Lib Dem councillor John Bryant, said the decision was based on “clinical evidence” supported by the London Ambulance Service and experts at the Royal Free. He added: “This is a scurrilous campaign that makes him [Cllr Philp] unfit for public office.”

Cllr Philp has collected more than 1,000 signatures opposing the ­closure and often refers to the stroke unit’s future in campaign literature.

Hampstead ward Lib Dem councillor Linda Chung told the meeting Cllr Philp’s campaign had spread “fear and anxiety among many vulnerable people”. 

Former health scrutiny chairman Kilburn Lib Dem councillor David Abrahams said: “The hospital’s chief executive Andrew Way told us he was happy with the stroke proposals.”

But minutes show that Mr Way proudly announced in a board meeting in January 2009 that his bid to run the Hyper Acute Stroke Unit  had been “accredited” and only later did he learn that his hospital had lost out to UCLH. 

Faced with losing a vital service, the hospital agreed with UCLH that staff from the Royal Free would transfer to the new unit in the Bloomsbury hospital. And in evidence submitted during the Healthcare for London consultation, he said: “One consequence of this decision however will be the discontinuation of the innovative and highly successful Hyper Acute Service that has been provided at the Royal Free Hospital. The board acknowledges that for some residents, particularly those in Barnet, there will be a reduction in access created by increased travel time to the UCLH facility.”

Mr Way added: “While recognising this point, the board nevertheless endorses the solution.” The chief executive moved to a job in Australia last year and was replaced by David Sloman.
TOM FOOT