Following last week's announcement that the hugely controversial healthcare reveiw into local hospitals has been halted, Mr Grayling has written to the chief executive of NHS England "asking for a full investigation of the process so far which has been riddled with problems".

In an email sent to constituents on Monday, MP Chris Grayling updated residents on the status of the Better Services Better Value (BSBV) review of Epsom, St Helier, Croydon, Kingston and St George’s hospitals.

He said the delay in making a decision on the proposals until after the summer, announced by BSBV last week after NHS England raised serious questions about their financial viability, has "pushed back" the threat to Epsom’s A&E, maternity and children’s units and said it "might be lifted altogether".

He said the delay provides "breathing space" to look for alternative solutions for its future in Surrey and he will now "push for a proper, separate discussion about how best to organise health services in Surrey".

He said: "The delay provides breathing space to look for alternatives for healthcare locally.

"Because of the delay, we will not now be pushing ahead with campaign activity this summer.  We will simply deploy these in the autumn if necessary.

"I am hopeful that there will now be a real attempt to find a better future for Epsom Hospital than the rather clumsy London-focused review that we have seen in the last few months."