FRIMLEY Park Hospital has come out in support of a controversial report by the Surrey Primary Care Trust (PCT) which was denounced as "a cynical ploy" by Save the Royal Surrey campaigners last week. The Clinical Options report followed a workshop with senior west Surrey clinicians on potential "networking of services" across Frimley Park, St Peter's in Chertsey and the Royal Surrey County hospitals. What emerged were proposals that Frimley Park retains a major A&E, but serves a larger catchment area, with a second similar facility at either St Peter's or the Royal Surrey. The hospital which did not have full A&E services would instead incorporate an urgent care centre. Specialist cancer services would most likely remain at the Royal Surrey. While Save Royal Surrey campaigners have suggested clinicians were merely called upon to rubber stamp a done deal decided by healthcare bosses, a statement from Frimley Park, which is already upgrading its A&E services, takes a different view. The hospital's medical director, Edward Palfrey, believed the model, which he described as "proposed by consultants who helped compile the report", would ultimately lead to a higher standard of care. "We have to get away from the idea that this is solely about cutting costs," he said. "While we have to live within our means and provide good value for money, this is about being able to provide the level of service to patients that advances in healthcare allow us." He said it was the first time clinicians from the three hospitals had come together to form a view on the way forward. "Medical advances and changes in medical practice have improved patient treatment enormously in the past 20 years, but the way we provide those services hasn't kept pace. "By having two major A&E sites and a hospital with an urgent care centre in west Surrey, we will go some way towards providing specialist care for emergency patients." Frimley Park began recruiting a seventh full-time consultant for its A&E department this week. And staff at the unit have been running a new rota for the past few weeks, with at least one A&E consultant in the department between 8am and 10pm during the week and for 12 hours at weekends. Up to four consultants are on duty at the busiest periods and they are all on a 24-hour emergency call-out rota. Frimley Park said it had been planning the upgrade even before the PCT announced its Fit For the Future review of healthcare services last year. Extra consultants have also been recruited in other key areas. Andrew Morris, chief executive of Frimley Park NHS Foundation Trust, said: "In addition, we are drawing up plans to offer 98 to 100 hours consultant cover for the maternity labour suite, critical care of 100 hours per week and emergency sub-specialist rotas such as cardiology, vascular and neurology. "Providing this level of service may ultimately mean patients will sometimes have to travel further, but when they arrive they will find a much higher standard of care provided by specialists. There is substantial evidence that more of a consultant delivered service will save lives." Andrew Morris added: "I know people have concerns about travel times to emergency care. But as Sir George Alberti, national director for emergency access, outlined in his report 'Emergency access – clinical case for change', provided the right infrastructure is in place there is no evidence that extra travel time has a detrimental effect on patient outcomes. "I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues from west Surrey to fill in the details of these proposals so we can have a rational public debate about reorganising healthcare across the area."