The failure of the Government to win its appeal in the High Court is a triumph for local people, both hospital users and staff alike.  There can be no doubt that this has been a huge waste of public money and that the Secretary of State for Health should never have gone to appeal following what was a clear-cut decision by the High Court.

He is now seeking to introduce new powers to future Trust Special Administrators so that they will be able to destroy other local hospitals, as he had hoped to do with Lewisham.

This afternoon the Secretary of State made a statement to the House about healthcare services in London, giving Rt Hon Dame Joan Ruddock MP (Lewisham Deptford) the chance to make the following point:

“Let me remind the Secretary of State that the High Court ruled that his actions in trying to remove services from Lewisham hospital to save a separate failing trust were illegal. He then lost the appeal. Will he now stop throwing good public money after bad, leave Lewisham hospital alone, and learn to respect the views of the people who work in our hospital and those who use its services?”

Dame Joan said:

“Despite jumping up and down continuously during Prime Minister’s Questions today, the Speaker did not call me.

”I know it will be a huge disappointment to everyone that I was not able to make the Prime Minister aware of the appalling treatment his Health Secretary has meted out to Lewisham Hospital and to local people.”

This morning a High Court judge ruled that Jeremy Hunt's plans to downgrade maternity and A&E services at Lewisham Hospital were unlawful.

Mr Justice Silber said the Secretary of State had breached provisions of the National Health Services Act 2006.

The High Court has upheld every argument we made against the use of Trust Special Administrator powers to ruin a successful, popular hospital which meets all its clinical standards.

The Government’s strategy for the NHS in Lewisham has been crushed by this verdict and we will fight to ensure they don’t come back with similar proposals.

This is the greatest victory for a local community campaign I have seen in my political life.

A huge congratulations for everyone who has campaigned so tirelessly to save Lewisham's A&E and maternity services.

This morning I joined Jim Dowd MP (Lewisham West & Penge), Heidi Alexander MP (Lewisham East) and dozens of supporters of the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign outside the High Court to mark the beginning of the legal battle to save Lewisham Hospital's A&E and maternity services.  

I am feeling optimistic about our legal case because I think the only person in the country who isn't against this complete travesty is the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP.  If there is any justice we should win the case.

I have never known a campaign of this size, with the public, GPs, hospital workers and Lewisham Council united in their fight. 

Two separate reviews - one instigated by Lewisham Council and the other by the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign - will run concurrently.

The council's principle argument is that the powers of former TSA Matthew Kershaw over South London Healthcare Trust did not extend to Lewisham, so his recommendations are unlawful.

If this first argument fails, the council will also back Save Lewisham Hospital's claim that the TSA and Jeremy Hunt did not meet the criteria of four tests required for the reconfiguration of NHS services.

The hearing is set to run until Thursday and a decision is expected a couple of weeks later.

This week I was drawn second for Prime Minister's Questions and took the opportunity to raise the subject of Lewisham Hospital once again.

You can read the exchange in full in Hansard.

I am pleased to confirm that I have now signed EDM 1104, which has been tabled by Ed Miliband and supported by Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham.  I am aware that many people are concerned about Government plans for the NHS which could force doctors to privatise more of the NHS, and this EDM aims to block those plans.

This is the full text of the EDM:

EDM 1104: National Health Service
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) Regulations 2013 (S.I., 2013, No. 257), dated 11 February 2013, a copy of which was laid before this House on 13 February, be annulled.

This week I have tabled further written questions for answer by the Secretary of State for Health:

Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford):
If he will publish the number of times the 4 hour waiting target was breached at each London A&E department in quarter 1 and quarter 2 2012/2013.

Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford):
If he will publish the number of times that ambulances waited more than 15 minutes to discharge their patients at A&E departments at each of the hospitals in London in 2012.

Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford):
What assessment has been made of the downgrade of Lewisham A&E department on the role of Kings College Hospital as a major trauma centre in the event of a major or regional disaster.

UPDATE: You can read the department's response to the first two questions here and the answer to the third question here.  We are still awaiting answers to the first two.

Today I took part in a Commons Backbench debate on accident and emergency departments.  Sadly many of my colleagues in the House are also currently fighting to save local A&E departments all over the country.

The debate provided another opportunity for me to raise the plight of Lewisham Hospital A&E and maternity services in the Commons.  You can read the transcript of my speech in Hansard or watch the debate in full below (the debate begins at 14:04 and my main speech begins at 14:42).  

On Friday I tabled the following written questions for answer by the Secretary of State for Health.  They are due to be answered on Wednesday or Thursday this week.

Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish in full the advice to him by Sir Bruce Keogh on option 5 of the Trust Special Administrator's report to him on the South London Healthcare Trust and Lewisham Hospital.

Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Statement of 31 January 2013, Official Report, columns 1072-5, on South London Healthcare NHS Trust, what the evidence is for his statement that 100 lives would be saved each year if the reorganisation of Lewisham Hospital were undertaken as proposed by Sir Bruce Keogh.

Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Statement of 31 January 2013, Official Report, columns 1072-5, on South London Healthcare NHS Trust, what factors will determine whether the continuing rate of usage of maternity services at Lewisham is 10 per cent or 60 per cent.

Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Statement of 31 January 2013, Official Report, columns 1072-5, on South London Healthcare NHS Trust, what the evidential basis is for his statement that journey times to an accident and emergency department would be on average one minute longer in a blue light transfer and two to three minutes longer for private or public transport.

UPDATE: You can read the department's responses here.

Press Release: Dame Joan Ruddock Condemns TSA Process as a “Sham and a Shambles”

Dame Joan Ruddock MP today condemned the TSA process, saying that “Lewisham should never have been dragged into this process”. The MP said that the Secretary of State’s announcement that Lewisham’s maternity services would be downgraded and the A&E reduced would be “unacceptable in Lewisham”.  

She said:

“The only reason the Secretary of State has not accepted the TSA proposals in full is because of the total opposition of the vast majority of local consultants, local GPs including the GP Commissioning Group and over 50,000 local people who actively opposed the closure of Lewisham A&E and downgrading of maternity services

“Today’s proposals are a sham and a shambles and totally unacceptable.

“The rushed TSA process and its botched consultation are not suitable for the major reconfiguration the Secretary of State proposes.

“ I am calling on the Secretary of State to allow the GP Commissioning Group to do the job they were set up to do - to consult properly about the proposed merger between Lewisham and Woolwich in a way that meets the clinical needs of the people of Lewisham 

“I am also looking for financial assurances that Lewisham will not be dragged into a new unsustainable trust.”

Yesterday JIm Dowd MP (Lewisham West & Penge), Heidi Alexander MP (Lewisham East) and I joined Lewisham Hospital campaigners outside the Department of Health to demonstrate against the closure of Lewisham's A&E and maternity services.  

The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, is expected to make a statement on the future of the hospital and South London Healthcare NHS Trust between 11.00am and 11.30am this morning.