Epsom’s MP has told staff at its threatened hospital there is now a "real prospect" that the delayed review which is proposing to axe its acute services will not restart.

Chris Grayling toured Epsom Hospital’s A&E, maternity and children’s units last Thursday, alongside Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Epsom and St Helier trust, and Dr Ruth Charlton, joint medical director of the trust, who leads on the Epsom site.

Mr Grayling said he was impressed with the facilities as he spoke with doctors and nurses at work in the wards, before holding a frank question and answer session with staff.

The visit came just a day after an announcement by the Better Services Better Value (BSBV) team that it would be delaying its review of acute services across Epsom, St Helier, Croydon, Kingston and St George’s Hospitals, which has recommended that Epsom should lose its acute services.

Outlining his views on the delay, Mr Grayling said: "I hope the BSBV recommendations are on the backburner at the moment. 

"I’m always cautious, but there is a real prospect now that this won’t go ahead.

"I was really taken aback that the local GPs didn’t take a year to establish themselves first and then look at the recommendations. 

"The delay will give the clinical commissioning groups a chance to sit down with everyone here."

When one doctor asked Mr Grayling whether he thinks the BSBV proposals have now been "shelved", he said: "I don’t see how they can go ahead with the process now without having further meetings in each of the areas, a 13-week consultation, outlining the business case, going through national approval processes.

"If they really want to do this, they are up against it, bearing in mind the Government may not be willing to allow major hospital reconfiguration months before a general election, which is due in 2015."

He said he believes the key to Epsom Hospital’s future is "doing more on this site not less".

Mr Grayling added: "We need more integration between primary and secondary care services on this site.  The local health economy needs to be more joined up.

"That would save money.  Why is there not a GP surgery operating out of this site for example?"

When asked by a stroke physician whether it can be argued that there will be "corporate negligence claims if centralisation means people’s lives will be lost because they have to travel further", Mr Grayling said the BSBV team had "left themselves wide open to judicial review" but that it is "best to win the clinical argument".

He said the cost of BSBV going to public consultation would be another £1million, but that he does not think it is "practical" to start charging people to use A&E or giving money to individuals to spend on healthcare as they choose, as suggested by two doctors.

Mr Grayling said: "There would be a reluctance to see a situation where there’s a till in A&E."

And: "I don’t think it’s practical to give people individual pots of money."

One doctor asked: "We talk about saving Epsom, but it’s still joined to St Helier.  How is that going to be overcome?"

Another doctor said the two hospitals were "inextricably linked" as the majority of A&E cases from Epsom go to St Helier, and elective care cases from St Helier to Epsom.

Mr Grayling said: "I have campaigned for divorce over the years but right now I’m focused on the stability of Epsom. 

"Epsom should not be shoehorned into discussions between St Helier and South West London."

When asked by another staff member whether "GPs taking responsibility for their local hospitals represents a conflict-of-interest", the MP said: "There are entrepreneurial GPs in the area who have been around for a long time.

"This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but patients should be given choice. 

"I’m not saying to a doctor that they can’t build a small surgery unit at the end of their practice, but they have to be absolutely clear as to how patients get there.  They cannot just refer to themselves."