The British Association of Plastic Surgeons (Baps) has slammed plans to break up services at Mount Vernon Hospital.

Hillingdon Health Authority plans to move half the hospital's burns and plastic surgery services, including all those that deal with children, to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

A spokesman for Baps said: "The plastic surgery and burns unit at Mount Vernon is one of the most prestigious in the country. The six consultant plastic surgeons working in the unit have reputations which extend beyond the UK.

"The associated Raft research institute based at Mount Vernon is the largest plastic surgery research establishment in the UK.

"Baps views with dismay the possibility that the plastic surgery unit at Mount Vernon may be split up and separated from the Raft Institute."

The association says it is concerned the decision to transfer services from the Northwood hospital to Chelsea and Westminster has been made on a time-scale that is much too short.

The spokesman said: "The transfer would effectively result in a large population being deprived of plastic surgery services because of distance and difficulty of access.

"We believe this proposal to fit half, if not all, of Mount Vernon into Chelsea and Westminster is one squeeze too far."

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