Campaign timeline

The Ilford Maternity Home was opened in 1926 on a site in Newbury Park beside the Eastern Avenue. Five years later, the Maternity Home was joined by King George Hospital, which was officially opened by King George V in 1931. This site remained the home of King George Hospital until 1993 when the current hospital was opened at Goodmayes.

Despite being a purpose-built, heavily used, modern hospital, proposals were made as early as 2006 to close the A&E department at King George's and end elective surgery there. These proposals were resisted at the time and the campaign to keep A&E and maternity services has continued since.

You can follow the campaign timeline here:

Please note: we are still compiling and checking information for this timeline and will update it shortly
October 2006 "Fit for the Future" plans published including preferred "Option Four" threatening the ending of all elective operations and closing Accident and Emergency at King George Hospital
December 2006 Mike Gapes, MP for Ilford South, uses Christmas adjournment debate in Parliament to denounce these "mad" proposals.
July 2007 Ilford Recorder petition opposing "Option Four' presented to Downing Street
September 2007 Mike Gapes presents 28,000 signature petition opposing changes to Ruth Carnall of NHS London region
October 2007 Rally outside Ilford Town Hall chaired by Ilford Recorder Editor Chris Carter to oppose cuts at King George Hospital

Review by Professor George Alberti rejects "Fit for the Future" as "clinically unsound" and says King George Hospital "should be developed as a first class local hospital"
December 2007 Heather O’Meara of Redbridge NHS Primary Care Trust asked to give an assurance that "Fit for the Future" is dead and that "Option Four" would not be reintroduced under another name replies that it has been "stood down"

Local MPs warn of need to be vigilant and not to trust NHS bureaucrats
September 2008 Team behind rejected "Fit for the future" proposals start work on new plans for health care in east and north-east London
February 2009 NHS London produces document proposing re-organisation of health care in Outer North East London
June 2009 NHS London decides to press ahead with detailed work on reorganisation options despite concerns expressed by London MPs, including Ilford MPs Mike Gapes and Lee Scott
July 2009 Consultation on the proposals for maternity and accident and emergency were rejected by the public, by a two-to-one majority among all the respondents in all the boroughs concerned
August 2009 NHS managers start work on new plans to downgrade facilities at King George Hospital
October 2009 Becomes clear that new plans will result in the lose of maternity service, childrens' surgery and A&E at King George Hospital
November 2009 Joint Meeting of Inner and Outer London NHS Primary Care Trusts agree to organise a 14 week public consultation starting on 30 November 2009 and ending on 8 March 2010 on plans to re-organise health care in east and north east London, including downgrading services at King George Hospital, to closing A&E, and ending maternity delivery services (births)

Mike Gapes denouces consultation "as free and fair as a rigged Afghan election" and supported by Lee Scott introduces a special Parliamentary debate to oppose these plans and calls on health ministers to intervene to stop the consultation
March 2010 Mike O'Brien, London Health Minister, calls in the plans for independent review in following a visit to King George Hospital with local MPs Mike Gapes, Margaret Hodge and Lee Scott
December 2010 The joint committees of primary care trusts rubber-stamp proposals for urgent and emergency care, maternity, children’s services and King George Hospital

Dr Mike Gill, joint clinical director for Health for North East London (HFNEL) and medical director and consultant geriatrician at Newham University Hospital NHS Trust refers to decision as "great news"