The stroke unit services consultation closed on 8th May 2009. It was proposed by the Healthcare for London that stroke unit at Ealing Hospital be closed and stroke patients residing in the London Borough of Ealing, in the first instance, be taken either to Northwick Park or Charing Cross Hospital where they will be treated for first 72 hours to then be shifted either to West Middlesex, Northwick Park or Hillingdon Hospital.

I feel very strongly that there is an acute risk associated with this proposal and therefore, oppose it. As you will have noticed via my Twitter updates and previous blog entries, I launched an online as well as paper petition to voice the concerns of the public in this matter. In total 1862 people from all areas of the community have signed. I along with my three Conservative Party councillors (Jagdish Sharma, Manjit Singh and Jarnail Singh Jandu) delivered this petition at 2.18pm on Friday.

We now await the final decision from Healthcare for London. I sincerely hope that while arriving at their decision, they will take into account concerns of the 1862 people who signed the petition.

My promise to residents of Ealing Southall is that as long as there is a possibility of retaining stroke services at Ealing, I will continue to fight.

Finally, I thank all those who helped me in this exercise - in particular, the management committee of Sri Guru Singh Sabha (Sikh place of worship), Vishwa Hindu Mandir and Jamia Milia mosque (Montague Road), all of Southall, Parjapati temple at Featherstone Road, Southall, Southall Day Centre , 9 GPs having surgeries in Southall, one GP of Hanwell and two pharmacists of Southall. My thanks also go to Conservative councillors on Ealing for their advice and help and in particular to Cllr. Mark Reen, cabinet member for Housing and Adult Social Services.

Gurcharan