Grantham A&E closure to be referred to health secretary

Grantham A&E is closed at night for a trial period of three months, which started in August

The closure of Grantham's A&E services due to a lack of doctors is to be referred to the health secretary.

Lincolnshire County Council health watchdog voted to refer the ongoing overnight closure to Jeremy Hunt.

The Grantham and District Hospital first reduced the unit's opening hours in August.

Melissa Darcy, of Fighting 4 Grantham Hospital, welcomed the decision and said it was the "best scenario and outcome of the meeting".

The A&E department currently only opens from 09:00 to 18:30 daily.

United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust, which is in charge of Lincolnshire's hospitals, said in September it was trying to recruit more doctors and would fully reopen Grantham's A&E as soon as possible.

Walk-in service

Christine Talbot, chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee, said: "We do not believe that overnight A&E services will be reinstated by February 2017, in fact the committee concluded that although indicated as temporary, the closure is in effect permanent."

The trust said closing Grantham would enable to it maintain safe staffing levels at its two other A&E departments, both of which take a higher number of patients.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust operates a daily walk-in service for minor injuries between 18:30 and 23:30 at the hospital.

The trust said this service was not a replacement for the A&E department.

The decision came at a meeting in Lincoln as anti-closure demonstrators gathered to protest.