A FACE-to-face meeting with the man charged with deciding the fate of King George Hospital’s A&E and labour ward is in the pipeline, after a letter calling for a referral of the plans landed on his desk.

Ilford North Conservative MP Lee Scott is setting up the meeting with Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley.

He will be joined by Ilford South Labour MP Mike Gapes, and possibly MPs from surrounding boroughs, as they make their case to Mr Lansley after Redbridge Council asked for a review.

He is expected to ask the independent reconfiguration panel,which has expertise in NHS service changes,to look at the plans.

But Mr Gapes has insisted the final decision rests firmly on his shoulders.

He said: “Ultimately it’s his decision. It will be a political judgement of whether to stand up to the bureaucracy in the NHS and say they got it wrong, or go along with it and allow the serious consequences for our community and therefore for any government that presides over that decision.”

He added: “I’m not making a party political point.

“I’ve been fighting these health plans with Lee Scott and will continue to do so.”

Mr Lansley is likely to arrange a meeting “within the next couple of weeks” according to Mr Scott.

Asked what he would say to Mr Lansley in that meeting, Mr Scott said: “A lot of the work has been done for us.

“Queen’s Hospital couldn’t cope for two weeks over Christmas.”

He added: “The consultation was a joke. They didn’t carry it out properly.”

To view the results of the consultation carried out by Health for North East London, and to see the proposals in full, visit www.healthfornel.nhs.uk.