THERE are calls for changes to services at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup, to be halted following a critical report on hospital standards.

The newly-created South London Healthcare Trust, which now runs Queen Mary’s and hospitals in Farnborough and Woolwich, has been rated in the bottom dozen of hospital trusts in the country.

It was given a score of 4.8 for patient safety in the latest Dr Foster Hospital Guide, an independent authority on NHS hospital quality.

In contrast, the top performer, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, scored 100.

Now Hornchurch MP James Brokenshire has called for changes proposed in A Picture of Health (APOH) to be halted immediately.

Mr Brokenshire, who will stand in Old Bexley and Sidcup at the next general election, said: “Against this backdrop, I find it virtually inconceivable the trust should press ahead with implementing its hospital reorganisation plans, which seem certain to put even greater strain on the local health service.”

Under APOH plans, Queen Mary’s will be stripped of its emergency services, including A&E and maternity, and become an elective surgery centre.

The Dr Foster guide for 2008/9 compares hospitals against a set of criteria including the number of deaths measured against a national average, staff to bed ratio and infection control.

South London Healthcare Trust showed significantly higher than average death rates for people admitted with broken hips or for low-risk procedures.

The trust also failed to CT scan at least 40 per cent of stroke victims within the recommended 24 hours.

It was unable to say how many operations were cancelled due to missing hospital notes, nor could it provide numbers for “foreign objects” such as swabs left inside patients following surgery, or other surgical accidents.

The trust’s staff to bed ratio is 2.03 and it scored 80 for infection control, compared with 3.67 staff to beds and 100 for infection control at University College.

In a statement, the trust pointed out it was created in April this year and the guide information relates to the previous hospital trusts at Queen Mary’s, Princess Royal and Queen Elizabeth hospitals.

It says: “We have placed our highest priority on improving patient safety.

“In eight months, we have reduced our infection rates and improved our survival rates so in both areas, we are performing above the national average.”

The trust accepted the recording of information needed improving and has drawn up a programme of improvements in patient safety for presentation to its trust board.

Bexleyheath and Crayford MP David Evennett has also raised concerns about APOH plans and has asked for a meeting with Health Secretary Andy Burnham.

He has tabled a series of Parliamentary questions on the new trust’s financial position.

Last year all three hospitals failed to balance their books and are carrying a historical debt of £187m.

Mr Evennett is also worried about the trust’s decision to transfer planned surgery from Orpington Hospital to the Princess Royal in Farnborough instead of straight to Queen Mary’s.

The trust says the temporary move to Farnborough is to end uncertainty for the Orpington staff and the service will move to Sidcup by the end of next year.