Health secretary loses court battle over Lewisham Hospital

The Court of Appeal has ruled that England's health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, did not have the power to close accident and emergency services at Lewisham Hospital in southeast London. Hunt went to the appeal court on Monday 28 October to fight against a High Court ruling in summer stopping him closing the services at Lewisham. 1 Hunt was arguing that the High Court judge Mr Justice Silber erred in law last July when he quashed Hunt's decision to downgrade the hospital's accident and emergency and maternity units. 2 Hunt made the decision to downgrade the Lewisham services after a recommendation by Matthew Kerslake, the trust special administrator for the neighbouring South London Healthcare NHS Trust. Speaking after the appeal court's decision was announced, Rosa Curling from the law firm Leigh Day, which represented the Save Lewisham Hospital group, said that the decision "confirms what the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign has been arguing from the start: that the secretary of state did not have the legal power to close and downgrade services at Lewisham Hospital.